


And Baby Makes Five? A Continuation of Family Poldark

by then_let_it_be_true



Category: Poldark (TV 2015), Poldark - All Media Types
Genre: Children, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Marriage, Married Couple, Married Life, Married Sex, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-02-11 14:36:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 85,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12937368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/then_let_it_be_true/pseuds/then_let_it_be_true
Summary: Ross and Demelza prepare for their third child via a surrogate...





	1. Chapter 1

Jeremy was healing quickly from his fall out of the tree.  In fact, it was hard for Ross and Demelza to keep him down and rest like the doctors had ordered.  His parents kept looking out of the kitchen window and finding him on the trampoline while his broken arm was still in it’s colorful cast that his entire class had signed, or riding his bike one handed through the grass of the back yard, or chasing his sister and dog at top speed.  Demelza was hysterical and constantly ran out into the back yard, “Jeremy!  Don’t injure your arm any more than it already is!  You know you shouldn’t be doing any of this!” She put her hand on his back as she pushed him back into the house.  “Aww, mom!  I feel fine!  I’m bored!  I just want to play and have fun.”  Demelza had even put Minecraft on her IPAD with the hopes it would keep Jeremy inside and still, but even that didn’t work. 

After she had put the twins to bed, Demelza found Ross in the kitchen, putting left-over pizza from dinner into a storage bag to keep in the fridge to eat cold for tomorrow’s breakfast.  She came up behind him and put her arms around his waist as she pressed her cheek into his back.  “Hello,” he said as he turned around to kiss her. “How’s Jare?” he asked her.  “Bored and restless,” she told him as he was walking the pizza box out to the garage to put in the recycle bin.  “And how are you, Mrs. Poldark?” he asked while scooping her into his embrace.  She put her head on his shoulder, “I’m tired, Ross.”  He began swaying with her a bit.  “I heard a song today that made me think of you.  Can I play it for you?”  “It made you think of me?” she asked surprised.  Soon the notes of “The Nearness of You” performed by Norah Jones were coming out of his phone’s speakers.  “Dance with me, Demelza,” and he took her in his arms as he gently sang in her ear:

 

It's not the pale moon that excites me

That thrills and delights me

Oh no, it's just the nearness of you

 

She parted from him to look into his eyes and smile.  She gave him a quick kiss.  

 

As Ross and Demelza were dancing in the kitchen, Julia had snuck out of bed and into Jeremy’s room for a quick “meeting.” Jeremy sat up when he heard his sister, “What’s wrong?  What are you doing?”  “You need to go downstairs and tell them you’re sick or you’re hurt or something.”  “Why?  I feel fine.”  “Just trust me,” she was telling him. “I’ll explain tomorrow when I’m not afraid they’ll hear us talking and know I’m not in bed.”  Jeremy was shaking his head.  “Nope.  Not doing this.  Why are you so bossy, Julia?”  “Look, Jeremy, I think daddy’s getting ready to go back to the beach house so you need to make sure you keep him here tonight, ok?  He won’t leave if he thinks you need him.  Now I gotta get back to bed!  Do it, Jeremy, please!” 

 

Downstairs, Ross had broken his kiss from Demelza to sing her the next verse:

 

It isn't your sweet conversation

That brings this sensation

Oh no, it's just the nearness of you

When you're in my arms

And I feel you so close to me

All my wildest dreams came true

 

They were kissing more intensely now before he pressed his stubbly cheek against hers and sang:

 

I need no soft lights to enchant me

If you will only grant me

The right to hold you ever so tight

And to feel in the night

The nearness of you

 

“Take me upstairs,” she was telling him with a husky voice.  They turned and immediately saw Jeremy standing in the doorway of the kitchen.  “My ribs hurt really bad,” he was telling his parents. “Your ribs?" Demelza asked surprised, “What brought this on?”  “Probably all that jumping on the trampoline,” Ross was telling her. He turned to Jeremy, “That’s why you have to listen to the doctors and rest, son.  Probably the trampoline was not the smartest decision.”  Jeremy nodded, “My stomach hurts really bad too.  Daddy, will you come up and stay with me until I fall asleep?”  “Of course I will,” Ross told him, before he turned to his wife, “Wait for me in bed and I’ll be right there to pick up where we left off,” he said kissing her quickly on the cheek.

Ross tucked Jeremy in but laid next to him on top of the comforter.  Every time Ross thought Jeremy was asleep and stirred to get up, Jeremy would say, “No! Stay, daddy.”  After a couple times of the same thing, Ross gave up and fell asleep.  Demelza waited in bed for Ross before she also fell asleep.  Around 2 am, she got up to use the bathroom and poked her head in Jeremy’s room.  She found Ross, sleeping on just the smallest edge of Jeremy’s bed, while her son was stretched out, taking up the other three fourths of it.  Ross was uncovered and shivering but Jeremy looked completely comfortable and happy.  Demelza quietly opened Jeremy’s closet, retrieving an extra blanket and covered Ross, making sure to stretch the covers down to warm his bare feet.  He really was the best father in the world.  Ross woke up around 5 am, kissed Jeremy, and padded down the hall where he got in bed next to Demelza.

The next morning, Julia came to Jeremy’s room early to play video games with him.  It was Saturday, so Demelza was walking around and gathering laundry out of everyone’s rooms to start loads.  She was just about to enter Jeremy’s room when she heard her daughter asking, “So you did it?”  “Yes,” Jeremy was saying, “I told him my ribs and my stomach hurt and I wanted him to stay with me until I fell asleep.”  “And he’s still here now?” she asked her brother.  “I guess.  I hear a vacuum which is what he does every Saturday.”  Jeremy was quiet for a minute when he said, “Seriously, Julia, what is this all about?” “You can’t ever get better. You know that, don’t you?” she was explaining to him.  “What are you talking about?” he asked her.  “You saved them.  Remember how badly mommy and daddy were fighting?  Remember at Grandma’s house? And then you fall out of that tree and suddenly they love each other again.  If you get better, daddy will go back to the beach house to live. You have to stretch this out as long as you can.” “Julia, I don’t think that daddy…” “No!” his sister interrupted him, “you weren’t there in the hospital waiting room like I was.  They thought I was asleep but I heard everything they were saying.  When daddy found out you were hurt, he _asked_ mommy if he could come home.  He asked her TWICE.  He kept saying, ‘Please let me come home, Demelza.’ He said you needed him.”

Jeremy was silent again before his sister started in, “Ashton’s parents are getting a divorce.  She said her mom and dad were shouting all the time and now she goes to visit her dad at a different house.  Don’t you see, Jeremy?  We just spent a weekend at the beach house with daddy while mommy stayed here.  We heard them shouting at Grandma Poldark’s.  So, you’ve got to continue this for as long as you can!” 

Demelza was practically crying.  Is this what her children thought?  She ran down the hall where Ross was vacuuming their bedroom.  She signaled him to turn the sweeper off before she tearfully sat next to him on their bed and told him what she had overheard.  Ross looked off in the distance thinking before he said, “Well, we have to talk to them.” Then he thought, “Maybe we should tell them about the baby now.”  “It’s too soon, Ross.  We agreed that we’d only tell them once it was more sure that the baby was closer to full term so they wouldn’t have to share in a tragedy if something goes wrong.”  “But if they knew a baby was coming, they’d know we were serious about always being together.” “Let’s just talk to them first,” she told him, “and mention the baby only if we have to.”

Ross took Demelza’s hand and they walked down the hall to Jeremy’s room.  Ross immediately turned Jeremy’s video game off as both parents sat at the foot of the bed in front of their children.  “Are we in trouble?” Jeremy nervously asked.  “No, of course not,” Ross said as he took Demelza’s hand, “mommy and I want to talk to you both.”  The kids were looking from one parent to the other for explanation before Demelza said, “Your daddy and I are very sorry that you heard us yelling at grandma’s house.”  “We never should have done that,” Ross was adding, “but sometimes mommies and daddies have disagreements,” “like we were having,” Demelza continued, “but it doesn’t mean that we stopped loving each other.”  “I can be a real idiot,” Ross was telling the twins as he brought Demelza’s hand to his mouth to kiss.  Demelza added, “And I am very sorry that I asked daddy to stay at the beach house for a few days. We both learned a lesson from doing things wrong this time, and we promise to handle things better in the future.”  “We love each other very much,” Ross was telling them, “and we’re not getting a divorce.  And I’m not going back to the beach house.  And you can get better any time you want to, son,” he said as he put his free hand on Jeremy’s cheek.  Demelza was smoothing Julia’s hair, “Your daddy and I are going to be together for a long time, so don’t worry.  Go outside and play, have fun, but don’t worry about this, OK?  “Let’s go!” Jeremy was shouting with glee as he and his sister were running down the hall.  “But be careful of your arm, Jare,” Demelza was shouting behind her and down the hall.  

They were still sitting on Jeremy’s bed as Ross scooted closer and took her in his arms for a long hug.  “We’re going to have to watch what we say and do,” she told him.  “I know,” she could feel him nodding. “They’re not babies anymore, they’re really perceptive, Ross.”  “I know,” he said again, “we won’t fight in front of them.” “I wish we never had another fight at all.”  He smiled warmly at her as he kissed her on the forehead, “I want that too.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse into what life looks like for Ross and Demelza after the twins go to bed...

Even though Ross and Demelza had just told their children that they still loved each other and that they were not getting a divorce, somehow Julia still had her doubts.  She knew that her parents might fight after she and her brother went to bed, so she made it her mission, her duty even, to go sneak downstairs every night to spy on them.  She had come up with an arsenal of logical reasons why she was awake if she got caught, and she practiced them with much emotion in the mirror; “I had a bad dream,” “Can I have a drink?” “My stomach hurts right here,” “I heard a noise outside,” or the big gun if nothing else worked, “Where do babies come from again?”  She had learned a while ago that she had inherited her father’s acting chops and could cry on demand if need be.

The first night she snuck down the stairs, she saw her mom sitting on one side of the sofa while her father sat on the opposite end.  Demelza was saying, “Ross…ahhhh…where did you learn to massage feet like this?  They had been so sore!  Now, it’s like I haven’t even stood on the them all day.”   Demelza continued, “Seriously, if the acting thing doesn’t work out, you could fall back on this.  However, I’m not sure I want to share this with anyone.”  Her father was throwing his head back and laughing with the infectious bellow that he seemed to save just for his wife. Julia breathed a sigh of relief.  They seemed fine, and she headed up to bed.

The second night she found her parents in the kitchen as she peeked around the door.  Demelza was on one side of the island, “Ross!  You wouldn’t!”  Her father was circling the kitchen in pursuit of her,  “Oh, I would, Demelza!  And I will!”  Her mom was shrieking and giggling as she ran from him, dodging his grip, “Ross Vennor Poldark!” Julia smiled and went back upstairs.

The third night they were both sitting on the sofa again.  Demelza was peeling back Ross’s t-shirt sleeve to look at his shoulder, “Ross, your scar looks awful!  Have you been putting your scar cream on it?”  When did Ross ever follow the doctor’s orders?  “Why not?” Demelza was saying a bit in a scolding manner.  “Where is it?” she asked him.  Julia froze and stood flat against the wall unnoticed as her mom walked right past her and up the stairs, only to come back down seconds later with the tube in her hand.  Julia saw Demelza go back to the couch where she began smoothing the cream into Ross’s shoulder.  She saw her dad was smiling.  Demelza said, “Ross it’s getting into your sleeve.  Why don’t you take your shirt off?”  Julia saw him whisper something into Demelza’s ear.  She couldn’t hear that Ross had said, “Darling, I think you know if my shirt is coming off, your pants are coming off.”  Julia went upstairs because she knew if Ross seemed hurt or sick, they wouldn’t fight.

The fourth night, Julia saw them cuddling together on the couch, Ross’s arms were around Demelza as she rested her back into his chest. They  were watching some sort of video.  Julia looked closely at the screen and saw her father.  He looked so happy but yet she thought she saw tears in his eyes.  He was holding two small babies in each of his arms; one with a pink cap and one with a blue cap.  From the couch Demelza was saying, “Were they really ever that small, Ross?  They look so tiny!” Julia looked at the screen and heard her mother saying off camera, “How does it feel to be the father of twins?”  “I’m so proud,” her father, looking six years younger, beamed.  Julia yawned and headed back to bed. They were ok tonight.

The fifth night, Julia got a scare when she couldn’t find her parents at all.  Family room: Empty. Kitchen: Not there either.  She peeked out the french doors in the kitchen to see if they were in the back yard: Negative.  Would they leave her and Jeremy at home by themselves?  At night? She went out to the garage and saw both their vehicles were still there. What she couldn’t find were her parents.  It wasn’t until she was walking through the kitchen on her way to check the half-bath that she heard their voices.  Of course, the laundry room!  Julia forgot how much her parents enjoyed doing laundry.

There were just a few times that Julia had seen them walking out of that room together, and when they did, they always seemed really happy.  _Really_ happy. Julia stood outside the door wondering if she should go in as she heard her father saying, “Demelza, please, don’t stop.”  “Exactly,” Julia thought, “Jeremy is out of socks, so keep that laundry going, mom.”  Then she heard her mother saying, “Yes, right there, Ross. That’s the spot.”  Spot. They were finding stains together, no doubt.  Her parents were so weird.  Julia reached for the doorknob but when she twisted it, she saw it was locked.  Her mother was saying, “Ross, stop!  What was that?  Do you think someone’s up?”  Julia panicked and ran up the stairs.

Ross and Demelza had perfected the My-Clothes-Are-Basically-Still-On-Lovemaking for times exactly like this.  All Ross had to do was pull up the pants that were slightly below his buttocks and he was ready to open the door as he peeked out and saw an empty kitchen, “I don’t see anyone.”  “I heard something, Ross,” Demelza was saying as she was jumping down from the washing machine and smoothing her nightgown.  “I heard it too,” Ross said. “Go upstairs and check on them, and I’ll be up in just a second,” he told Demelza.  Demelza wondered why he wasn’t going up with her until she looked down at his groin, his manhood tenting his pajama pants.  “Does that thing take a break?” “Quit looking at ‘The Captain,’ Demelza! You’re making him self-conscious.  Just give me a second.”  They stood there, a bit awkwardly, like strangers in an elevator saying nothing, as they waited.  Demelza looked over, “Nothing’s changing, Ross.”  “Because ‘The Captain’ doesn’t handle pressure well!  You’re stressing him out!”  “I want him to retreat, Ross.”  “Well, you know he’s always the first to the party and the last to leave.”  She crossed her arms as she stood and waited a second longer, “Seriously, Ross!”  “Demelza, ‘The Captain’ only retreats when he’s been ‘honorably discharged.”  “MY GOD, ROSS!  Did you just say that?  Hashtag: Worst Joke Ever!”  She was groaning in pain at his cheesiness.  “And here I used to think you were sexy and cool,” she was telling him.  He neared her, “You know you still do,” and kissed her behind her ear.  Demelza was laughing, “This is not helping! You need to think of something unsexy to calm him down,” she said as she was leaving the room, “like your parents..doing it…on their own washing machine…”  “For the love of god, Demelza!” He pushed her out and shut the door.   

Demelza found Julia awake in her bed. “Were you just downstairs, sweetie?” Julia nodded. “I was looking for you and daddy,” Julia told her.  “What did you need, Julia?” Ross asked as he walked in and stood next to his wife. Demelza was sitting on Julia’s bed as Ross stood so she had a front row seat to confirm that all evidence of their former escapade had faded away from him.  Julia fibbed to cover up her real mission of making sure they weren’t fighting, “I wanted you to tell me where babies come from again.”  “Sometimes from the laundry room,” Ross bent down and whispered so quietly in Demelza’s ear.  She elbowed him in the ribs before she looked up at Julia’s princess clock on the wall, “At 10 o’clock at night you needed to talk about this?” “Well…I’m sleepy now, mommy.  Maybe some other time.”  She looked at her parents, “Why were you locked in the laundry room?”  Ross quickly said, “Because sometimes the dryer can be loud and we didn’t want it to wake you and Jeremy up, so we shut the door.” Demelza offered, “The four of us make so many clothes!  Sometimes I need your daddy’s help to get it all done.  I need daddy to help me stay on top of it.”  Demelza and Julia both looked at Ross who had accidentally let out a hearty guffaw that he then turned into a pretend coughing fit.  “Excuse me, ladies,” he was saying, “tickle in my throat.”  Demelza and Ross both kissed Julia goodnight. As soon as they were in the hall Ross was laughing, “Help you stay on top of it? ‘That’s what she said!’  Demelza, you walked yourself right into that one!”  “Real mature, Ross,” Demelza was laughing.  Ross responded, “I could hardly hold it together!” and that’s all Julia heard as her parents were now in their room and had shut the door.  They were laughing instead of fighting tonight.  

The sixth night was a little trickier.  When Julia got downstairs, she didn’t hear any talking at all.  She had to sneak all the way to the family room where she found her mom sitting on the sofa with her IPAD, but Ross was sitting in his recliner.  Neither one of them was speaking to each other.  Her father might be asleep but Julia had to get a little closer to be sure.  Demelza immediately saw her, “Sweetheart, what’s wrong? Why are you up? Do you need to talk about where babies come from? We never got a chance to…”  “No,” and then Julia went with what she had practiced, “I had a bad dream, mommy…” Her voice woke Ross up, “What’s going on?” he was asking.  “Julia had a bad dream,” Demelza told him.  Ross was putting his arms out, “Come here, Julia. I’ll hold you.”  Julia smiled as she climbed into his chair and snuggled up with him.  He kissed her on top of her head and tucked some curls behind her ear, “What was your dream about, sweetie?”  She didn’t practice that.  The first thing that popped out of her mouth was, “You went back to the beach house, daddy.”  Demelza looked over from her IPAD as Ross met her glance.  He then stroked his daughter’s hair, “That would be a bad dream, Julia.  But here I am.  I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”  Julia relaxed and drifted off in his arms.  She woke up and hour later with her cheek pressed into Ross’s shoulder as he carried her up the stairs and tucked her into bed.  Previously, when she was sleeping downstairs, she missed the conversation where Demelza asked her husband, “What have we done to them?  We’ve scarred them for life.”  “Nah,” Ross said, “It’s just fresh in their minds right now.  Give them time of us not fighting and hopefully they’ll forget all about it.  They’re just nervous right now.  I think time will heal this.”  He tucked Julia into her covers, “Good night, Julia.  I’m just down the hall if you need me, not at the beach house.”  “Ok, daddy,” she smiled and went back to sleep.

Ross joined Demelza in bed, “I think I know how to fix this.  Let’s take a vacation…the four of us.  Let the kids see us all having a great time as a family, and they’ll forget all about us fighting.”  Demelza was grinning from ear to ear, “Ross, you’re a genius!  What a great idea! What are you thinking about?  Disney? Ireland?”  “No…I want to see snow.  We rarely get any in Dublin or here in California.  What about Aspen or Vail?”  “Oh,” Demelza said surprised, “I didn’t expect you to say that.  Sounds great, Ross!  Let’s do it!”

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross plans a special date night for Demelza...

The Poldark’s were all sitting around their kitchen island, eating dinner, when Julia broached the subject, “Can Jeremy and I spend the night at Kyra and Keegan’s house?”  It didn’t take long for Demelza’s answer, “No, Julia.”  “But why not, mommy?” she was ready to throw herself on the floor in a fit like she used to, “you know their parents well.”  Demelza was shaking her head, “Julia, it’s not a good idea to have boys and girls overnight at the same time.  I don’t care if you are just six years old.  It’s not a good idea.”  “No,” Jeremy was interjecting, “all the boys will be at their beach house with Keegan’s dad, and all the girls will be down the street with Kyra’s mom.”  “Oh,” the kids could see their mom thinking it over.  “And,” Jeremy added, “there will only be 4 boys at the beach house and 5 girls down the street.  They’re all kids from our class.  It’s Kyra and Keegan’s birthday.”  Ross was shrugging his shoulders, “It sounds harmless, Demelza.”  “But _overnight_ , Ross?”  She turned to her children, “I was always the one getting scared or sick and needing to come home in the middle of the night when I was a little girl.  Are you sure you’re going to be able to sleep at a different house?”  “We do all the time with Sarah and Sophie at Uncle Dwight’s and Aunt Caroline’s,” Julia assured her.  “Well, that’s different.  They’re like family…” Demelza told her children.  “Please, mommy!” “Oh, alright,” Demelza said reluctantly.

In bed that night, Ross flipped over on his side to talk to Demelza, “I really think it’s going to be fine, sweetheart.  Julia is probably the one to want to come home and she’s just down the street.  Either one of us could pick her up anytime.  I think Jare will be ok.”  Demelza nodded, “Ok.”  “Anyways,” Ross said with a twinkle in his eye, “maybe you and I could go out to dinner or something.  Make it a date night.  When was the last time it was just the two of us?”  Demelza smiled and put her hand on his stubbly cheek.  He went on, “How about I make a reservation and we get dressed up?”  He thought for a minute, “Do you still have that little black dress?”  She smiled, “I do.”

The kid’s overnight bags were packed and their sleeping bags rolled up, everything piled by the door and ready to be loaded into Ross’s car before he dropped them off.  Demelza made both kids sit at the island for a final talk.  Ross came and stood next to her as they addressed their children.  She said, “Don’t get excited, but mommy and daddy have something for you, but I want you to understand that it’s just for emergencies and times when we are not together, not something you are going to have every day.”  The twins were confused but started dropping their jaws in disbelief when they saw their father with two cellphones in his hand.  “Just for tonight, guys, so you can call us anytime you need us,” he told them.  Demelza said, “Now you don’t have to wake parents up if it’s the middle of the night.  Just give us a call and we can be there in seconds…maybe a little longer for you, Jeremy, but you know what we’re trying to say.”  Ross was telling them how all the numbers were already programmed into the contacts, but he really didn’t need to teach them how to use it, kids were just naturally good at technology.  Some of the twin’s classmates already had their own cellphones, but Ross and Demelza hadn’t given in yet. They were still 6 years old.

Ross came back from dropping the kids off to find his wife in the bathroom, twisting her auburn curls into an elegant updo.  Her makeup was on and her black dress was resting on the bed, just waiting for her to put it on.  His lips were like a magnet to her exposed neck.  If only they didn’t have a reservation, he thought.  “Let me clean up and put on my suit and we can go,” he told her.  He showered and then walked into the bedroom to his closet where his suits were, wearing nothing but his towel around his waist when he saw her in her dress.  He loved when she wore black because it accentuated her alabaster skin, “Darling, you look so beautiful.”  She smiled and asked, “Can you zip me up?” as she turned and showed him her back.  “Damn these reservations!” he laughed as he zipped slowly, kissing up the skin of her back to her neck as he secured the dress.

When they got out to the garage, Ross confused Demelza as he went over to the passenger side of his Range Rover.  “Am I driving?” she asked him, unsure of what side of the car she should be on.  “No, sweetheart.  I’m opening the door for you.  Has it really been that long since I’ve done it that you don't know what I'm doing?”  She could tell he felt bad about her not recognizing his gesture and tried to make him feel better by saying, “Who has time to open doors when there’s kids and carseats…”  He smiled at her, “Well, it’s date night tonight, so I only have time for you.”  

The m’aitre d  showed them to their table.  Of course Ross had picked one of the most elite restaurants in LA.  Ross walked to the table with his hand gently on Demelza’s back, quickly pulling out her chair for her when they got there. Demelza was glancing at the menu.  “Ross…these prices…”  He reminded her again that it was a special night and she should order anything she wanted.  “But as a chef, I know it doesn’t cost this much to make.”  “We don’t do this very often, darling.”

The chef himself came out personally to their table, introducing himself and telling Ross and Demelza of what was being featured tonight.  Demelza didn’t know him, but he knew her as her reputation with pop-up restaurants had preceded her. Demelza felt a bit old as a new wave of chefs were already getting their start here in town.  Ross ordered the surf and turf but when he heard Demelza say she would just have the salmon salad, he knew she was doing that to save money.  Ross turned and told the chef, “She’ll have the surf and turf too.”

Demelza was originally a bit put off that Ross had ordered for her but the food was amazing; lobster tail, pan-seared scallops, and prime rib, everything fired a la minute and to an absolute perfection.  Ross tried to interest her in champagne, hoping the evening would turn into the wild night they had had at the Emmy’s, but Demelza wisely had a glass of wine instead.  When Demelza had visited the bathroom, Ross took the liberty to order dessert as the pastry chef was there tonight as well. When she returned, a fresh coat of lipstick on her lips, he said, “I hope you saved room for dessert.” “Dessert?!” “Yes, this place is famous for its, rich, decadent, dark chocolate cake.”  “Where do you expect me to put it, now that you’ve stuffed me full of steak and lobster?  My purse?”  “Just take a taste,” he told her as he looked up and saw the server was walking it their way.

Demelza looked over, “They only brought us one fork.”  Ross laughed, “It’s supposed to be that way.  They even state that on the menu.  It’s meant to be _shared,”_ he told her with a raised eyebrow.  “Here,” he said as he moved to the chair next to her to facilitate the task.  He took a bit of the cake on the lone fork and slowly brought to her.  She took a bite, like anyone would, but noticed he was staring at her mouth as she did.  “Oh, wow, Ross.  Good call on dessert.  It’s amazing.”  “Well, then, my turn,” he said with a grin.  Instead of using the utensil that was still in his hand, he passed it to Demelza.  She giggled as she brought the fork-full of cake near him but stopped giggling when she saw how deliberately and seductively his mouth was moving.  He was absolutely lingering on the fork.  Her breath immediately hitched.  “Ross, they’re going to ask us to leave if we…”  “We’re just eating cake, darling.”  “Are we?” she said as she dropped a shoe under the table, running her toe up his pant leg and onto his skin.  His eyes were darkening as he smiled and got another bite ready for her.  She matched him with a slow and tempting style of eating.  He grinned as he saw the chocolate ganache that was still on the left side of her mouth.  “Demelza, you’ve got something right here,” and he brought his tongue out to lick the same side of his mouth, showing her where the chocolate was.  It was too much for her.  She wiped her mouth with her napkin as she leaned over and slowly kissed him on the cheek.  “Take me home,” she whispered seductively in his ear.  He was writing a sizable tip onto the receipt, when she laughed and told him, “In my efforts to be sexy, I’ve lost my shoe.”  She could not put her foot on it for the life of her. She was practically sliding out of her chair, almost disappearing under the table when she finally felt the leather of her strappy pump.  Ross smiled at how adorable she was.

In the car, the mood was downgraded a bit as they both checked their phones for the twins.  “No text from Jeremy,” he was telling Demelza.  Demelza was looking at her own screen, “And none from Julia either.  Do you think Kyra’s mom, Linda, will be mad if I call her?”  Ross chuckled, “I think everyone expects you to.”  Demelza shot him a look, “What does that mean?”  He smiled and put his hand on her knee, “I think you and I have the reputation of being over-protective.”  She shrugged her shoulders as she thought about it and agreed.  “There’s worse things to call us,” she told him. 

Linda reported that all was well and the girls were having a great time and Demelza put her phone back in her purse.  “Feel better?”  Ross asked her as he watched her place her hand over his that was still on her knee.  “Yes,” she said as she smiled over at him.  At the next stop light, he gently tugged her over to him as he gave her a kiss.  She broke them apart, “Ross, are we 17?  In a car? At a stop light?”  He was peppering her face now with slow kisses, glancing to the side as he told her, “I’m still watching the light.  Nobody’s going to have to honk behind us…unless they like what we’re doing…” She laughed and pushed him away right as the light was changing.

They got home and walked into the kitchen from the garage.  “Where’s Garrick?” she asked him, realizing the dog didn’t greet them as usual.  “Dwight came and picked him up.  Sarah and Sophie miss him so much and anyways, I didn’t want him home by himself eating all of that,” he said pointing.  Demelza looked over.  Rose petals were strewn at the other door of the kitchen that led to the stairs.  “Ross, we’ve been married 8 years, I’ve known you for 10, and you have never…”  “There’s a first time for everything” he said as his hands were on her shoulders.  He took her by the hand as she noticed the petals led all the way up the stairs.  “Ross, how did you…” “There’s a company you can hire to do this,” he was telling her, “They came in and set everything up while we were at the restaurant.  There’s supposed to be more upstairs.”  He took her hand, but she stayed at the bottom of the stairs, “Ross, is this about Ireland?  You know I’ve forgiven you.  When I put something behind me I…” “No, he interrupted her, “Do you know what this is about?  It’s about us having a small baby soon and being busy. I just wanted to give us a date night while we still could. That’s all.”  She looked at him. He really was the most thoughtful man in the world.  

When they reached the bedroom, there were more petals in the middle of the bed and another path that led to the master bath.  They walked in to see flowers in the bath water, and vanilla scented, pillar candles of various heights, set up in several places around the room.  Ross grabbed the candle-lighter that was conveniently placed on the counter as he created a soft glow in the room.  “Help me out of this, please,” she turned to him and showed him the back zipper of her dress.  She felt his breathing on her neck as he slowly undid the zipper.  She stepped out of her garment as she turned and faced him in her lacy lingerie.  “And now I need help,” he said as he pretended to struggle with his tie, “so I can get into that tub with you.”  “You?  The shower man is going to take a bath?”  “I believe you gave me many of them with my broken shoulder,” he reminded her.  “Well, that was diff…” was all she got out before he kissed her.

Soon they had helped each other out of their clothing and she was resting her back against his chest in the warm water, her head cradled against his shoulder as he wrapped her arms around her.  “Blissful,” she told him with closed eyes.  His hands left her to lather them with soap as he told her, “turn around, please.”  She did, and his soapy hands were caressing her everywhere: her breasts, her arms and shoulders, and her chest, as he nipped and kissed her neck. Of course his humorous side made her laugh by “booping” her on the nose with some suds.  She quickly returned the favor with her own hands as she lathered his glorious chest hair, smoothing the soap down his well defined and muscular arms.  It wasn’t long before both sets of hands had plunged under the water, taking turns making the other throw their heads back as they absolutely panted at the sensations.

Ross was taking her by the hips and sliding her onto his lap.  When they were joined, they began their movements but immediately stopped and laughed hysterically when water was splashing all over the floor.  Large puddles were forming.  “They make this look so easy in the movies,” he told her with a chuckle.  “You mean you’ve never made love to a woman in a tub?” she asked him.  “No,” he laughed, “and this is probably why. Have you done it like this?” he asked her.  She shook her head no.  “The shower…”  Maybe there’s too much water,” he offered as he tried to stretch a toe to the drain handle.  They waited as the water drained out before they resumed, but it made no difference as once again water was everywhere, sending them into hysterics.  Demelza was laughing so hard, she wiped tears from her face.  “Let’s dry off and go to the bed,” he said giving up their water adventure.

Demelza walked over, still naked, to the sink, taking the hairpins out of her updo and letting her red curls fall on her shoulders.  Ross walked up behind her and chuckled, “Hold still, darling.”  “What’s wrong?” she was trying to peer behind her.  “Nothing,” he smiled, “you just have rose petals stuck to your arse,” he said removing them and showing them to her before bending down to put them in the trash.  She turned and saw he also had them on his own behind.  He was just straightening up when he felt her warm hands on his rear. “Demelza…” Her touch was doing all sorts of things to him.  He turned around and kissed her, first slow and tender, but then she felt his tongue grazing across her lips for entrance.  He was making her breathless with the intensity of his kisses.  She had the decision of walking them backwards into the next room and towards their bed, or to the vanity of the sink. She chose the closer option.  She was just hopping onto the countertop when he stopped their kisses.  He stood between her legs when he asked, “Here?  Are you sure?”  She nodded with eyes full of desire.  He scooted her to the edge of the countertop as she saw him taking himself in his hand, ready to guide him into her.  When he did, he smoothed his hands down her thighs as she brought each of her legs up to wrap around his torso.  He kissed her neck as he thrusted into her. “You’re so beautiful,” he said as he felt her tightness around him.  He opened his eyes and could see over her shoulder in the mirror what he was doing to her.  “Sweetheart,” he stopped for a moment to peel back and look at her, “do you want to watch us?”  He was always thinking about what she wanted. 

They separated as he carefully helped her down and she turned around.  Her buttocks were inches away from him, her full and round cheeks that drove him crazy with desire.  She had asked him once if he was a breast or ass man, and giggled when his answer was, “Yes.”  He elaborated, “It’s just you, darling. Every inch of you.  I’ll never get enough.”  His fingers were on her ass, massaging her before he put himself between her legs,  slowly rubbing back and forth.  She was making every sound he wanted to hear.  She opened her eyes as she saw his arm wrap around her from behind to cup a breast while the other was smoothing her flat stomach.  She felt the warmth of his breath on her neck as he panted and kissed her.  “Demelza…what you do to me…” She looked up and their glance met in the mirror. She saw the hunger in his eyes.  Ross was rarely selfish when it came to sex, always asking for her permission before he took her, just like he was doing now.  She was more than ready.  She saw the expression his face made when he entered her.  “Sweet mercy…Every time….so warm and…” he couldn’t even finish a sentence.

She felt his arms around her, his arms that demonstrated such strength yet held her so tenderly like he was holding on to something he prized so dearly.  She felt his lust and desire as he moved in and out of her, but she felt his love as he held her close to him.  The kids weren’t home, so she didn’t hold back in letting out every cry, every moan, every sound he was causing her to make.  She didn’t care.  His actions behind her looked as good as they felt.  She was already so close to her release when she felt the hand on her stomach smooth down into her womanhood, finding that spot that made her come apart.  He was so good at this.  Her legs were giving out and shaking as she leaned back against him for support.  He held her closer as he began his final thrusting, announcing, “Demelza…god…I’m…” before he released everything he had to give her.

********************

Ross was hanging up his suit as Demelza was putting on her pajamas and checking her phone one more time for the kids.  It wasn’t even 11 o’clock yet.  “What do you want to do now?” she asked him, “Go watch TV?  I bet the news is on now.”  “Honestly?” he said, stifling a yawn, “I was thinking about turning in.”  He looked at her before he said, “It’s Saturday night, this city’s just waking up to go out and party, and I just want to get some sleep.” “Me too,” she laughed.  They got into bed where they got comfy and she laid her head on his chest.  “It’s official,” he told her, “we’re old and boring.”  “Ross, our evening was anything but boring. But we might be old…” He chuckled.  He laced his fingers with hers, “Thank you for being my date tonight, darling.”  She kissed his chest that she was resting on, “Goodnight, Ross.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Christmas is like when you live with Ross...

It was now Christmas time, or as everyone would say, “Ross’s favorite time of the year.”  Unlike most men who groaned at the idea of matching, holiday pajamas, he was the one ordering them, passing them out proudly to his family when they arrived.  Even Garrick had his own collar with bells on it. At least this year’s pajamas had a shirt and bottoms and wasn’t like last year’s onesie with a giant zipper, the ones Julia exclaimed in frustration, “I have to practically take the whole thing off just to pee!” “I’m in the same boat, sweetie,” Demelza had tried to comfort her daughter quietly so as not to dampen Ross’s spirit.  

Ross was handing out sleepwear once again this year.  “Look, guys,” he said as each member got one, “Snoopy pajamas!”  Jeremy was just as excited as he was, probably because he was turning into his father more and more each day.  Julia was a bit less excited, but perked up when she saw the separate pants.  Demelza would always tell her, “Do you know how lucky you are to have a daddy like the one you have?  One day when you’re older, I’ll tell you what it was like to live with Grandpa Carne when I was your age.  Maybe then you’ll appreciate more the family traditions we have.” 

Each year, Ross was the first on the block to get the ladder out, turning their California home into a veritable winter wonderland as he strung lights all over their house.  Then, he would load up the Range Rover on Christmas Eve with his family and dog, and drive through the streets of the neighborhood as they all admired the other lights and decorations.  Everyone wondered why he did this, because they never encountered another house as spectacularly decorated as their own. Perhaps that was why.

He started playing the traditional music early.  He and Demelza didn’t often sing together but always impressed their children with, “I really can’t stay…” That was Demelza with Ross then answering, “but baby it’s cold outside…”  “I’ve got to go away…” “but baby it’s cold outside…” “This evening has been…” “been hoping that you’d drop in…” “So very nice…” “I’ll hold your hands, they’re just like ice…” Ross sang as he held his wife’s hands.  He made his children break into hysterical laughter when he bellowed out his other favorite song with his deep, baritone voice, as he waltzed Demelza all around the kitchen, “Oh, bring us a figgy pudding!  Oh, bring us a figgy pudding!”  It was his favorite line. He would always say, “Demelza, you’re the chef of the family, when _are_ you going to bring us a figgy pudding? We’re waiting!”  The twins could not laugh any harder. One year he and Demelza had put on their best holiday duds and attended a fancy party.  On the menu, to Ross’s delight was the yuletide pudding.  After Ross had taken his first bite, he whispered into Demelza’s ear, “Ok, false alarm.  If this is indeed a figgy pudding, there is no need to bring it at all!”  Demelza remembered everyone looking at her as she almost choked on what she was eating from laughing so hard. 

Ross practically carried around a mistletoe in his pocket, catching Demelza off-guard, demanding an instant kiss and never caring what she was doing at the time.  She was taking something out of the oven with mitts on her hands as he held the greenery above her, “Demelza…” She had her rubber gloves on and was scrubbing the tiles of the shower, “Demelza…” She was paying bills on-line, “Demelza…” She was sitting on the toilet as he busted in, “Demelza…”  “GET OUT, ROSS!”  she shrieked as she kicked him and the door closed with her foot.  She could hear him laughing all the way down the hall.

Ross’s favorite movie was Elf, and Demelza wasn’t really sure how many times her husband and children had watched it.  Sometimes she wished they wouldn’t as it had taught them, Jeremy especially, some bad habits.  She watched her son stub his toe one day as he shouted, “SON OF A NUTCRACKER!”  Jeremy and Julia laughed hysterically when Ross would try to burp for several seconds just like in the movie.  Ross had a really loud belch that made the twins giggle as Demelza rolled her eyes and asked, “What are you teaching them, daddy?" There were so many quotes they could recite like when Ross would ask his children, “What are the four food groups of the elves?” while they shouted, “Candy, Candy Corns, Candy Canes, and Syrup!”  One year Ross even made spaghetti with maple syrup in honor of the movie, and as fun as it looked, nobody could seem to get it down. 

Every year, Ross would announce, “It’s time for the 12 days of cookies,” as he and his family would gather in the kitchen each night to assemble a new batch.  They even had their own special aprons.  Some of Ross’s favorite cookies were the ones with Hershey kisses in the middle, or the peanut butter cookie cups.  Each year he’d say, “This one is my favorite!  What is it called again?  Spanish Bride Cookies?” Demelza and the kids knew he was doing this on purpose to be funny but each year reminded him that they were called, “Mexican Wedding Cakes.”  Demelza had also started baking gingerbread houses that she, Ross, and the twins would decorate together at the kitchen island.  Ross’s job was to put the houses together with icing so Jeremy and Julia could then decorate them, and also not to eat all the green gumdrops, like he did one year, that the twins used for the trees.

The family would also go to the store as they picked out new toys that they would then take to the local relief shelters, hoping that those less fortunate might also have a good holiday.  Ross and Demelza made the twins help pick out toys, coats, boots, and gloves.  If they would ask for something for themselves, their parents would remind them, “Remember we’re giving back right now.  It’s important to think about others.  We can come back later for ourselves."  Jeremy and Julia always looked really proud as they were helping their parents carry in the items they were donating.

Ross was so disappointed when “Ugly Christmas Sweaters” became a thing, or “Jumpers,” as he called them.  Demelza had an arsenal of them, Ross’s favorite being the one with a giant reindeer on the front, bells on the antlers that basically rested over her breasts.  Ross couldn’t resist rubbing his hands across her as he said, “I’ll jingle your bells, Demelza!” He had said to her on one occasion, “If only I would’ve kept those horrible jumpers I used to wear.  You know, before I got a stylist?”  “You looked adorable in them!” Demelza told him, “You were very endearing.  Like a sweet, adorable dork!” she laughed.  “Well, if only I kept them… I could be wearing them now.  They’re not _holiday_ per se, but people would still understand why I had them on.”  “Follow me,” and she took him by the hand and led him up the stairs to their bedroom.  “Demelza!” he pretended to be shocked, “It’s the middle of the afternoon and the kids are home! It’s not proper!” he joked.  “You wish,” was her reply as she giggled.  She took him to his closet, removed a couple of boots from the very top shelf revealing a cardboard box.  “There,” she pointed.  He took it down and set it on the bed where he discovered every “jumper” he was referring to.  One by one he took them out, “The red one I wore to Odessa?” and then offered, “I was so hungover that day…way before I met you.”  A next one was taken out, “The brown and black houndstooth?”  “My personal favorite,” she offered.  “The mustard colored one with buttons on the shoulder?  I can’t believe you kept these!”

On Christmas morning, he would wake earlier than the children even though he was up all night assembling bicycles or Barbie Dream Houses.  He’d use the bathroom and slam doors to try to rouse the children, but then go back to his bed and act like he was still asleep until they came in and jumped on him.  “Is it morning?” he’d ask with his most sleepy expression and while employing his best acting skills.

The family would then take their matching pajama-clad selves down to the family room.  It was never about gifts for the Poldarks but more about love and being together.  Jeremy and Julia really only got a few presents, but then again, they got gifts throughout the year as Ross and Demelza never needed to wait for an occasion or an excuse to get them something.  Even Garrick got a parcel of dog toys and chew bones and enjoyed shredding the wrapping paper with his teeth.  Ross and Demelza only allowed one present to be bought for each other, and usually exchanged these as the kids were busy with their new toys.  This year Ross opened a box to reveal the cologne, Santal 33 by Le Labo.  “Demelza…wow!  I love this stuff.  You spent too much, darling!”  “We agreed on ONE gift, Ross,” she reminded him to justify the price, “anyways, you wear it well,” and winked at him.

It was now time for Demelza to open her gift.  Ross handed her a very small box that was beautifully wrapped with a big white bow.  She took the lid off and gasped.  Even the twins stopped playing to look at her.  It was a necklace, but not just any necklace.  “Ross, this looks like my grandmother’s ruby brooch!  The one I lost!”  Demelza had worn the beloved family heirloom to an event with Ross when they were first married.  At the end of the evening, the pin was no longer fastened to her gown.  No one was sure if it fell off, or was taken by greedy fingers.  Demelza sobbed that night as Ross looked everywhere in the building for it, even alerting the janitorial staff to be on the lookout.  It was never found…until Ross was walking by the jewelry store in Ireland and saw the similar necklace.  He didn’t care how much it cost.  He was getting it for her.  “The pendant and stone look just like the brooch,” Demelza shrieked in disbelief.  “Let’s see it on,” he told her.  The twins were still watching as she carefully stood up from where she sat on the floor and pulled her auburn curls to one side as Ross put the necklace around her, not wasting an opportunity to plant soft kisses on her exposed neck before fastening the clasp.  “Wow!” everyone was saying, “you look beautiful.”  Demelza was looking down as she placed a finger on the stone, “Thank you, Ross.”

An hour later, the breakfast casserole had been eaten, the toys had been played with, the “Annual Pajama Selfie” had been taken, Grandma and Grandpa Poldark had been Skyped with, and Demelza was picking up the wrapping paper scraps from the carpet as she saw her husband and kids all asleep on the couch.  Ross’s feet were still on the floor, like an old man who had fallen asleep sitting up, Demelza chuckled to herself.  Jeremy had fallen asleep with his head resting on Ross’s lap, and Julia was on the other end of the sofa, propped up with the pillows.  Even Garrick was snoring as he laid across Ross’s feet on the floor.  Demelza tiptoed into the kitchen to tidy up a bit and make sure everything was ready to take to Dwight and Caroline’s house that night for Christmas dinner. 

As she was rinsing the breakfast dishes, she caught her reflection in the window above the sink and saw the beautiful necklace resting on her snoopy pajama top.  She about jumped a mile when the husband she thought was asleep barged into the kitchen. “Don’t let me forget to bring the…” he was saying when she quickly spun around.  He saw the tears in her eyes.  “Demelza, why are you cr…”  was all he got out before she ran over, crashing into his chest with a force that almost knocked the wind out him as she put her arms around his neck.  His arms were at his side in the confusion of her actions but then he wrapped them around her.  “This is the nicest gift anyone has ever given me,” she told him tearfully.  “A necklace?” he asked confused.  “Ross, it’s so much more than that.”  He shook his head because he didn’t understand.  “It’s the way you take care of me.  Remember that night I lost the brooch?”  “What about it?” he asked, still confused.  “It was one of your award shows.  Your show had won, and the cast was all gathering for pictures.  You never made it in a single shot because you were crawling on your hands and knees in your nice tux, under chairs and tables, looking for it.”  He was shrugging his shoulders, “To me, finding it was more important than anything else that night…”  “Don’t you remember what the paparazzi said about you, that you were ‘too good’ to avail yourself for a picture?”  “I think Elizabeth had said that and the paparazzi just heard her,” he laughed.  “You never stopped looking that night, and now I know you never stopped looking at all.”  She put her hand on his cheek, “Ross, I feel like you gave me back a little piece of my grandma today.”  “Sweetheart, I can’t bring back your grandmother.  I’m not superman.”  “But Ross, that’s exactly who you are to me. You're _my_ superman.  Sometimes I feel like there’s nothing you can’t do.”  She saw his eyes were getting misty as she leaned in to kiss him.

When they broke their kiss, she said, “You smell amazing.”  “Well, I may have already put on my new cologne.”  Then he asked her, “Can you believe next year at this time we will have a 3 month old?”  Jeremy walked into the kitchen, “We’ll have a 3 what?”  Ross looked at him, “I said we will have a NEW set of pajamas to wear, Jare!  Do you need mommy to go get that suction thing to clean out  your ears?” and he chased his son back into the family room, as Jeremy shrieked and laughed.

 

Demelza had no idea that next Christmas her daughter would come home from school sobbing. “Keegan told me Santa wasn’t real!” Julia wailed.  “That Keegan!” Demelza thought.  Why was he always the source of terrible information!  “Is this true?” Julia asked between sobs.  Demelza sat down and talked to her daughter, carefully explaining to her that nothing would change about their traditions, just now she knew the gifts were from her parents and not from the North Pole.  Julia continued to sob without end.  “Why are you still crying, sweetheart?”  “I’m sad for daddy!”  she explained when she could stop long enough to speak.  “For daddy?  Why?”  “Because,” Julia said as her chin began to quiver again, “Christmas is so important to him.  Obviously he’s never been told about Santa.  He’s going to be so sad when he finds out!”  Demelza’s heart was practically melting.  “Well, let’s not tell him, Ok?  We better still put the cookies out tonight or else he’ll suspect something.”  This made sense to her daughter and she immediately smiled, “OK.” 

 

If the Poldark’s only knew how much all of their lives would change in the coming year…

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is there anything better than "Ross" in a weird jumper? He's so adorable! 
> 
> One of my co-workers was an older gentleman who never spoke a lot but ate lunch with us everyday in the break room. A young mother was telling a story about how her daughter was just told at school the truth about Santa. That quiet man perked up and told us his own story about how his daughter wasn't all that upset about it when she found out but was moved to tears for him as she thought he didn't know because he always made such a big deal about Christmas. I never saw this man smile as much, laugh as hard, or talk as long like the day he told this story. That was my inspiration for Julia's reaction to Santa...
> 
> Ok, so this is the LAST thing I have written. Are there more ideas? Yes, but I haven't had time to type them out yet. I may not be able to post as quickly as I have in the past. I do apologize and hope everyone can stay with me as you wait...


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very short chapter about one more Christmas gift for Ross...

Demelza stood in the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror.  A new lacy ensemble that Ross had never seen was clinging to her in all the right places.  She was smoothing the fabric across her stomach as she turned and looked sideways at her reflection. In the store she wasn’t sure if the garment would fit her properly or even look good on her, but she seemed to be pulling it off.  She gave the nightie one last tug and glanced at herself once more.  It was show time.

She walked into the bedroom where Ross was sitting in bed, going over whatever recent script he was deciding on that week.  He was engrossed in his reading when she walked to the other side of the room.  She heard him put the script down, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, Demelza!  What’s that?” he said pointing at her, “Something new?”  “Yes,” she smiled, “I picked it up when I bought your Christmas gift.”  Ross noticed right away that the pastel blue color of the nightie was the same color of his wife’s blue/green eyes.  “Sweetheart, it’s such a good color on you.  It really brings out your beautiful eyes.”  She smiled, but she wanted him to look lower.

She watched as he got up, walking to the big armchair where his black bag was leaning. He put his script into the inside compartment.  Now was her moment.  She turned and opened a lower drawer of the dresser, causing her to bend a bit.  She could almost hear his body hardening as he noticed. “Demelza, are you wearing a g-string?” he asked as her bare, ivory cheeks were peeking out below the hem.  She walked over to where he was standing, “I don’t know, Ross, am I?”  She pushed him into the chair as she straddled his lap.  She was standing on her knees as Ross ran his hands up the back of her smooth thighs, exploring underneath the fabric until he reached the warm, bare skin of her buttocks.  “God, darling, you are…”  He was massaging both of her cheeks as he kissed her.  Things were escalating rather quickly.

He stood them both up as he put an arm under her knees and lifted her to carry her to the bed.  “Ross!” she exclaimed with surprise as her feet were leaving the ground.  He laid her down on the mattress as he quickly shed his t-shirt and pajama pants, and then hovered above her.  He kissed her and his tongue was exploring her open mouth as he then turned his attentions to her neck.  He whispered, “You are so lovely.” She was already breathless.  He was kissing down towards her breasts when she said, “You can take off my nightie…”  “What if it stayed on?”  he asked her as he was gently pulling the fabric down to reveal her breasts, exposing her nipples to his mouth and fingers.  He kneeled on the bed between the legs that she was opening for him.  He bent forward to kiss her lace covered stomach as one hand reached up to caress her breast.  He looked up from her stomach and his eyes met hers to ask, “Ready?”  She nodded, again, too breathless for words.  He tenderly lifted up her hem as he moved the thin strip of her g-string over from her womanhood.  He put his hands under her buttocks as he raised her hips and brought her forward to encase him as he groaned.

He was still as he enjoyed just the warmth of being inside her.  He leaned forward again to lace his fingers with her hands that were resting slightly above her head.  He kissed her and she felt him moving in and out, deep inside her.  His weight was pushing her into the bed, his hair falling into her face as he kissed her bare shoulder.  He pushed himself back up by his arms as he went back to kneeling.  He threw her leg over his shoulder and she felt the difference in his penetration.  “Ross…”  He turned his head as he kissed the inside of her knee and leg that was resting on the scar of his once broken shoulder. “You’re so good, Demelza…”  His thrusts were becoming quicker and more determined.  She had lost count of how many waves of pleasure had already washed over her, but she felt in the pit of her stomach the beginnings of the one that would take her over the edge.  He saw the flush of her chest and what her face was doing and knew she was close.  He picked up his pace as he continued to kiss and caress her leg. It wasn’t long before they had both plummeted into ecstasy.

They easily fell into their after-sex routine: Demelza laying her head above Ross’s heart as he put his hand on top of hers that was resting on his chest.  His other hand was making lazy circles on her back.  He said, “I think your phone went off a few minutes ago.  I thought I heard it between the beautiful sounds you were making.”  “My phone?”  she said, not having noticed.  “Check it,” he told her, “maybe I’m wrong, but it sounded like your phone.”  He watched her reach for it as she read her screen.  “Demelza, maybe we could plan some more for our upcoming vacation.  Did you ever decide if you want to go to Vail or Aspen?”  She was still reading.  He continued, "I honestly don’t care.  I just want to see snow.  Maybe ski a bit.  Slide down the hills with the kids in innertubes. Go snowboarding.”  She turned to him.  “It’s a text from Sam.”  “How are they?” Ross interrupted her.  “Fine,” she smiled.  Their little one is 3 months old already.”  “Already?”  he said in disbelief, “It seems like yesterday that Rosina had her C-section.”  “Ross, if you want to see snow and have a family vacation, Sam just invited us to Cleveland for a visit.  There’s _plenty_ of snow there.  They don’t call it the Snow Belt for nothing,” she chuckled.  He was smiling.  “I know it’s not as fancy or as posh as Aspen but…” “No, Demelza, I think it sounds even better.”  Text them and tell them we accept.”  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to call this chapter, "sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, Let's go to Cleveland, Ok."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julia's newfound fear of monsters hits close to home...

Julia had become afraid of monsters.  It had started when Ross had let her watch the animated movie Monster’s Inc.  Previously, she had been unaware that monsters could be in one’s closet until then, and she never forgot.  It had grown so out of hand that Ross and Demelza had to watch TV with the remote in their hands, ready at a second’s notice to change the channel if a commercial for a scary movie came on.  They had her night routine down too:  show her the closet was empty and let her peek under her bed before tucking her in.  She had now become afraid of the dark, so Demelza had gotten her a night light that plugged into the outlet, also burning soothing fragrance that Julia left on in her room all night, illuminating the dark corner of her room she was the most afraid of.  It seemed like everything was under control until Ross and Demelza’s worst nightmare happened.

When Demelza was picking up the kids from school, she had no way to even brace herself for what was about to happen.  She had gotten the twins in their carseats and was just pulling away from the school when Julia burst into tears.  “What’s wrong, sweetie?”  Demelza asked as she turned and looked into the backseat behind her.  “Does your stomach hurt?”  Julia was shaking her head no.  Demelza had tried to ask her again why she was crying but got no response from her daughter.  She tried her son.  “I have no idea,” was Jeremy’s answer.  Demelza was looking into the rearview at her daughter, “Julia, sweetie, I can’t help you if you don’t tell mommy what’s wrong.”  She saw her daughter wipe her eyes as she said, “Daddy is a monster!”

Demelza wasn’t sure what she meant, “Well, sometimes he does get grumpy, sweetheart, but I wouldn’t exactly call him a monster.  He just gets a little cranky when he’s super tired.  I really don’t think I’ve ever heard him yell.  Raise his voice I think would be a better way to describe…”  “No, no, no!”  Julia was interrupting her in frustration.  “I saw his pointy teeth and his eyes were all black, no white parts, and he had blood all over him!”

Demelza immediately knew what her daughter was referencing.  Ross had done a TV show in the UK where he played a vampire long before he and Demelza had started dating.  “Oh, sweetheart, that was just pretend.  It was makeup.  Daddy had to sit in a chair for _hours_ and they made him look like that.  How did you see a picture of this anyway?”  “Keegan had a pic of it on his phone.”  She really disliked Keegan.  Her daughter continued, “Keegan said daddy turns into that in the middle of the night or when the moon is really big in the sky.”  Demelza had to keep from giggling but instead got really serious as she explained, “Daddy doesn’t change into anything, sweetheart.  I don’t like monsters either and I would be so scared to lay next to daddy in bed if that happened.  I’m telling you, daddy is just daddy any time of the day or night. His hair is a little messy in the morning, but that’s as bad as it gets, Julia.”  She saw her daughter smiling and it seemed the conversation was over.

Ross came home from rehearsals in time for dinner as usual.  He  had been doing local theater since his period drama had ended.  Jeremy and Julia ran to the door like they always did when they heard his car pull in the garage.  One by one, he threw them in the air, loudly kissing them on their necks and cheeks while they squealed and laughed.  It was their ritual when he came home.  The entire family sat down to dinner at the kitchen island and the conversation between all four members was not lacking that evening.  Demelza kept glancing at her daughter, worrying that something still might be amiss, but breathed a sigh of relief when everything seemed normal.  She forgot to bring it up to Ross. He tucked the twins in that night, kissing each child on the forehead, and took his place next to Demelza in bed.

Ross woke around 2 am and got up to use the bathroom.  He was up anyways, so he decided he might as well check on the twins.  He quietly pushed Jeremy’s door open to see his son completely twisted up in his covers and sound asleep.  He walked next door to Julia’s room.

Julia heard the footsteps in the hall.  It wasn’t hard to tell the difference between her mother’s and father’s gait in the hallway.  This clearly sounded like Ross.  She had seen the moon so large in the sky before she went to bed, and thought that maybe something scary would happen tonight.  She quickly devised a plan to lay as still as she could, hoping that he would just look from the hallway at her and not come in if he thought she was asleep.  She pulled the covers up to her neck and held them tightly as her door slowly creaked open.  She saw his finger tips on her door and the black curls on his head as he looked in from the very small opening.  Julia tried to look at him through squinted eyes so as not to give away that she was indeed awake.  The dark hallway was making his brown eyes look exceptionally black.  It had happened.  The metamorphosis was complete.

Julia couldn’t stifle her screams of terror.  Ross opened the door all the way as he flipped on her toplight.  “Julia, what’s wrong?  Are you sick?  In pain?”  She continued to scream bloody murder as she covered her entire head with the blankets.  Ross neared the bed, “Julia, what is it?  What’s going on?”  He was scared.  Especially when he reached out to put a hand on the lump that was under the covers and she screamed, “Get out!  Don’t touch me!  Get out of my room!”  “Julia, are you having a bad dream?  What’s happening?”

Demelza had heard the screams and was sprinting down the hall.  She could guess what was going on. The sight she saw when she got to Julia’s room was heartbreaking.  The concern and confusion on Ross’s face, the terror in her daughter’s voice…  As soon as Demelza got there Ross was practically out of his mind, “What’s happening to her?  What is this?”  Demelza told him, “Go back to our room and wait for me.  I know what to do.”  “But what’s happening to her?”  “Ross, this is going to be so much easier if you just go.  Please.  Go to our room and I’ll explain it all when I get there.”

She couldn’t remember a time when her husband looked more hurt, but he did what he was told and retreated to their bedroom.  Demelza stayed and held her daughter, rocking her gently as she cried.  “If you would’ve opened your eyes, sweetie, you would’ve seen that daddy just looked like daddy.  People have to make him look like that with makeup.”  Julia was quiet as Demelza smoothed her damp hair on top of her head.  She was even sweating.  “Think about your dance instructor, Julia.  Remember how she has pink hair?  She wasn’t born with that.  She goes to a salon and they give that to her.  It’s the same with daddy, darling.  He just looks like daddy until they change him.  It’s not possible for him to be a monster while in this house because he needs his makeup team to do so.”  She saw her daughter was hardly crying anymore and just as she was about to lay her down and tiptoe out, Jeremy busted in, “What in the name of sam hill is going on in here!”  This was another favorite line from the movie Elf that Demelza hated that he had memorized.  “Jare, everything is fine.  Go back to sleep.”  She turned back to her daughter, “Are you ok now, sweetie?”  Julia nodded and Demelza pecked her on the cheek before leaving.  

Ross had waited what seemed like hours in the bedroom.  Every bone in his body was compelling him to tiptoe down and eavesdrop, but from the previous hysterics of the situation, he decided it was better to stay in his room and follow the instructions.  He sat on the side of the bed but jumped up the minute Demelza walked in.  “How is she?”  Demelza took a spot next to where he had been sitting and told him everything.  “But how would she see a pic of that?” he was asking her.  “How do you think?” she rolled her eyes.  “Keegan?” was Ross’s first guess and he looked at his wife who closed her eyes and nodded.  “There’s been so many times I wanted to strangle him!  But I was just kidding…I hope,” was Ross’s reply.

She was getting into bed, patting his pillow for him to do the same.  “We might as well go to bed, Ross.  There’s nothing to do until morning.  I’m not sure what we even can do about it then.”  He got under the covers.  He laid staring up at the ceiling for several moments before he said, “Demelza?”  “Hmmmm?”  “I’m just so sad.  I swear my heart is breaking.  My own daughter is petrified of me.”  “It will pass, Ross.  There will be something else down the road and she’ll forget all about this.  Just give it time.”  “Ok.”  He flipped over, but she could tell he was not ok.

Demelza got up and walked around the bed to leave the room.  “Where are you…” was all he got out before she put a finger in the air to tell him to wait a minute.  She walked down the hall to Julia’s room who was also still awake.  “It’s just me,” Demelza told her daughter as she lightly tapped on her door.  She came in and scooted Julia over to lay beside her.  She took her daughter’s hand and said, “Your daddy is so sad.  He loves you so very much and he would never want to scare you.  His heart is breaking down the hall.  Why don’t we go together and see him and maybe you could give him a hug?  I’ll be there too.  I promise daddy only looks like daddy right now.” She was surprised when Julia quickly nodded.

She held her daughter’s hand as they walked down the hall.  When they got to the bedroom, Demelza looked in and said, “Daddy, someone’s here to see you.”  Ross sat up.  Julia slowly peeked around the door and saw her father, sitting on the edge of the bed and holding his arms out to her.  She ran to him as he scooped her up.  “Oh, sweetheart…” he said soothingly as he stroked her hair, “I’m so sorry you had to see that.  That must have been terrible for you.  It was just a costume.  Please don’t be afraid of me.  I would never hurt you and I certainly don’t want to scare you.”  She had her cheek on his shoulder the whole time he talked to her.  Demelza took her place next to them, placing a hand on her daughter’s back as her husband said, “I know how to fix this, Julia.  I can make this better tomorrow.” 

Ross picked the twins up from school the next day.  He brought them and their backpacks into the kitchen as Demelza came out of the laundry room to join her husband.  There was a box on the kitchen island.  “Julia,” Ross said, “I called my makeup artist and she gave me the fake teeth and contacts that I used in my monster costume.  I want to show them to you, ok?”  Her face said it was not ok.  “I won’t put them on, sweetie, I just want you to look at them.” He opened the box as Jeremy was peering in and shouting, “COOOOOOL!  I want to put them on!  Please, daddy, put the teeth on me!  Please, please, please!”  The fangs had sticky backs and Ross easily stuck one to Jeremy’s tooth.  “RAWWWWWRRRRRR”  Jeremy was running around the kitchen.  Julia was laughing, “It is cool, daddy.”  “Can I show you just one eye, Julia?  I’ll just put one in my eye so my other eye looks normal.  Would that be ok?”  “I don’t know…” she said, unsure again.  “I WANT TO SEE IT, DADDY!”  Jeremy was shouting.  Ross turned and using a small mirror to see, put a contact in.  He covered the vampire eye with his hand so only his “human” eye was showing.  Jeremy was saying, “Let’s see it!”  Ross uncovered his eye and stared at his son.  “That is so SWEEEEEEEEET!”  Jeremy was beside himself.  “I want to see!” Julia said, much to Ross and Demelza’s surprise.  Ross uncovered his eye for her, exactly as he did for his son.  He watched the terror come over her face as she grew pale.  “Ok, Jules,” he closed that eye quickly, “all gone.”  He turned and plucked the contact out of his eye.  As he was putting it into the box, he noticed the other contact was missing.  “Where’s the other one?” he asked Demelza.  “RIGHT HERE!” Jeremy shouted and showed his father how he stuck it to his closed eyelid knowing he would not be allowed to put it into his eye.  He still had the teeth in and was running all over the kitchen.  Julia was laughing hysterically at her brother.  It was _funny_ when he did it.  “I’m not scared anymore, daddy.  Can I wear the teeth too?”

That night, Julia had a bad dream but came into Ross and Demelza’s room to tell her father.  It was not lost on Ross that his daughter had sought him out in the middle of the night.  "Sweetheart, I'm sorry those things I brought home today scared you enough that you had a bad dream.  That was not my intention."  "No, daddy," she told her father, "I had a dream that people came into our yard and took Garrick."  "Oh," Ross reacted, "Do you need me to take you downstairs to see him?"  "He's right there," Julia said pointing to the floor by the bed."  “Do you want to sleep in between me and mommy tonight, sweetie?”  That’s all the invitation she needed as she climbed in.  “You’re not afraid to sleep next to me, are you?”  “No, daddy,” she yawned.  He breathed a sigh of relief as Demelza flipped over to give him a big smile.  “See?” Demelza told him, "She forgot all about it.  Now we don't have to worry about it next week when we're in Cleveland."  Ross kissed his daughter on one cheek while Demelza kissed her on the other, both at the same time.  Then they hovered above her head as they kissed each other.  “Good night, my darlings,” Ross said as he got comfy.

 

                     

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit of fluff because I'm still working on the Cleveland chapter. It's coming along and I hope to finish it and post it soon. Bear with me...
> 
> When I sent this chapter to my editor friend, her exact words were, "I liked it, but your readers want to read about Ross." I think my readers know who my story is sometimes about. It's "Ross." I refuse to add tags to this story. It's clearly "Ross."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Poldarks arrive in Cleveland...

It was the end of January as the Poldark’s rental car was pulling in the Cleveland driveway of Sam and Rosina Carne.  Ross popped the trunk as everyone got out to retrieve their bags.  Jeremy and Julia wasted no time in gathering snowballs in their bare hands to throw at their parents.  “Guys,”  Demelza said with her mom-voice, “Aunt Rosina has dinner ready for us.  Let’s go in and eat dinner and we can play later.”  “Aw, mom!” both children complained.

Rosina greeted them at the door with baby Ana on her hip.  Demelza dropped her bags right away as she reached out to take the child in her arms, “My goodness she’s a beautiful baby!”  The aroma of the pot roast simmering in the oven was enough to make everyone salivate.  Ross took Ana from Demelza so she could help her sister in law get things ready in the kitchen.  Soon the family was all at the table, laughing and talking while they ate.  Baby Ana sat on Ross’s lap the entire meal as Demelza spooned bites of mashed potatoes into her mouth. 

Demelza was saying, “Both of you are so fair.  Where does Ana get her dark and beautiful looks?”  “Are you saying I’m not dark and beautiful?”  Sam asked Demelza before chuckling.  “Well…” Demelza answered, “Seriously, would she be getting this from Uncle Drake?  Rosina, do you have any one in your family she’s taking after?”  Sam and his wife exchanged confused looks before he said, “Demelza, we told you she’s adopted, right?”  “Adopted?” Ross and Demelza both said in unison as he bounced Ana on his knee.  “You texted us the day Rosie had her C-section,” Ross told them.  Rosina immediately rolled her eyes and elbowed Sam in the ribs, “You do this all the time, dear,” and then turned to Ross and Demelza, “He’s always texting a mile a minute, never quite giving all the details.  I bet he said, ‘she had her c-section’ and didn’t clarify that he was referring to the birth mom.”  Ross and Demelza laughed, “Yes, I think that’s exactly what the text said,” Demelza told her brother.

Rosina explained, “Ana is hispanic; Latina, if you will.  We named her Esperanza because it means Hope in Spanish.  Sam and I were devastated when we found out we couldn’t have children.  Then we were in the adoption system for so many years, we were beginning to give up the _hope_ of ever having a child.  And then the agency called with a teenage, hispanic mom, pregnant with a girl that she was unable to keep, and we knew this was meant to be.  “That’s a beautiful story,” Ross said as he kissed the 3 month old on the head.  Jeremy was leaning over to the baby, “¿Cómo te llamas?  Me llamo Jeremy.”  The entire table broke out in laughter.  “What?”  Jeremy asked a bit embarrassed, “I thought she’d enjoy hearing her own language.”  Demelza explained, “Their kindergarten teaches them Spanish.”  “I hate it,” Ross offered. “I have no idea what they’re saying sometimes. It’s like a secret code between them.”  Demelza turned to them, “Say that one sentence you guys learned.”  Julia was the one to say, “Mi papá es alto y un poquito gordo,” before she and Jeremy burst into hysterical laughter.  Everyone, including Ross, looked to Demelza for the translation, “They said, ‘My dad is tall and a little bit fat.’”  “Ha, ha, guys,” Ross said sarcastically.

After the plates were cleared, Demelza bundled her children up with the jackets, hats, scarves, and mittens she had packed.  She looked at Ross who was also securing a scarf to his neck.  “Ross, that’s not that ratty scarf I made for you?”  “Ratty? Demelza, I love this scarf.  You crocheted it.  I told you I was going to wear it.”  “I did such a bad job.  I was just learning.  In fact, I think it’s the first thing I ever made.  I never expected you…”  “Demelza, it’s beautiful.  And it was made with love.”  She kissed him as the the four of them went out to explore the winter wonderland.  Sam and Rosina stayed indoors.  “We live here,” Sam chuckled, “We’re quite tired of the snow.  But you guys go ahead.  We’ll be waiting with the hot cocoa.”

The snow was a heavy wet variety, perfect for packing and making a snowman.  Demelza was showing her children how to roll the snowballs until they were big enough to serve as the body of the snowman.  Ross was assembling the parts as they all turned at the sound of crunching.  “Jeremy! That’s the carrot for the nose.  You weren’t supposed to eat that!” she instructed her son.  “Oh, sorry.  I didn’t know.  I thought it was a snack.  I was in such a hurry to come out and play that I really didn’t eat dinner.”  They used the half-eaten carrot anyways and Ross snapped a picture of everyone standing around their snowy creation.

Demelza laid down in the snow, moving her arms and legs as she showed everyone how to make snow angels.  They could see the stars in the sky above them as they laid in the snow.  It was such a perfect evening, but the kids were starting to get cold.  Demelza was just brushing the snow off her pants to go inside when she felt a surge of coldness and icy water dripping down the skin of her back.  She screamed as Ross chuckled from having just pulled back the collar of her jacket, depositing a giant snowball down the back of her shirt.  “Ross Vennor Poldark!”  she shrieked.  “I’m sorry, Demelza!  I couldn’t resist.  Let’s go in and get warm.”  “Oh, we’re going in all right,” she said with an evil voice.  “Ok, kids, GET HIM!” she commanded the twins as they all pummeled Ross with snowballs.  He ran from his family but slipped and fell in the soft snow, everyone landing on him in a giant laughing heap.  “Help!”  Ross shouted as everyone continued to giggle.  With a voice that sounded strained like he couldn’t breathe, Ross again said, “No, really.  HELP!  Someone is crushing my nuts.”  The kids were dying laughing, “Daddy said ‘nuts!’”  “Ross, really!”  Demelza scolded.  “I’m sorry,” Ross told them.  “What makes this better?  Someone’s crushing my testes…nads…dangly bits…man berries…family jewels…stones?”  Everyone, including Demelza was now roaring.  She scooted over.  “It was you, sweetheart, you were crushing my…what did we decide was proper?”  “Dangly bits,” Demelza could hardly get out  as she was laughing so hard.  She stood and helped Ross up and the four went into the house to shed their wet clothes.

They met back down in the living room by the fire in their pajamas as Sam and Rosina handed them steaming mugs of hot cocoa, teeming with marshmallows.  Everyone, including Ross, had a white, gooey mustache from the melty topping.  Demelza stared at her husband’s mouth, knowing how she would like to help remove that from above his lip.  She could practically taste the sweetness as she would lick across his lips, the roughness of his stubble like sandpaper on her tongue.  Ross saw where her glance was lingering and knew what she was thinking.  He gave her the smallest of winks as his own lips and mouth were taking care of the job. She had instant butterflies in her stomach.  

Everyone was tired from their flight and from frolicking in the snow, so the Carne’s took Jeremy and Julia up to Ana’s room where an air mattress was waiting for them; and Ross and Demelza went down the hall to the guest room, where their luggage already was, and where the family had changed into their pajamas.  Demelza told Ross, “I’m still freezing from being outside.  I think I’m going to take a shower to warm up.”  

The water was falling over her chilled body as she heard Ross getting in with her. She opened her eyes. “What are you up to?”  she giggled.  He took her in his arms, “Well, I got you cold by putting that snowball down your back.  The least I could do now is help you warm up.”  She was shaking her head, “Ross, I don’t think that’s a good idea.  We’re guests tonight and we don’t know the acoustics of this house.  I think this bathroom is right above the kitchen.  They might be hearing everything we do.” “Well, they can’t hear this,” he said as he kissed her, gently licking across her lips with his tongue, “and they certainly can’t hear this,” he told her as he cupped her wet breast, replacing his hand with his mouth as she threaded her fingers through his wet curls.  “This doesn’t make a sound either,” he nipped at her neck.  She felt something on her thigh and looked down to see the culprit, “Oh, Ross.  Seriously?  ‘The Captain’?”  “He tiptoed in, Demelza.  I didn’t hear him.  Did you?”  He reached for his wife’s hand as he brought it to his very erect member.  She wrapped her fingers around his length, “Do you know what I’m going to do with my free hand?” she asked him.  “Oh, god, Demelza, tell me.  When was the last time you talked dirty to me?”  She could see the excitement in his eyes. “With my free hand…” she paused for extra suspense, “I’m going to … turn the cold water on and point it at your…what did we call these?  Dangly bits?”  “‘The Captain’ and I do not approve of this plan,” he pouted but laughed as she shut the water off and he reached for two towels, handing her one.

They got into bed and snuggled up as the temperature in the house was quite a bit cooler than they were used to in California.  They were sleeping soundly as another storm picked up, dropping a quick burst of about 3 inches of snow in just a couple hours time.  Ross was woken up by a horrible sound.  It was like the house was being ripped apart into tiny pieces.  He sat up, “Good god, Demelza!  What the hell was that?”  She didn’t even stir, “It sounds like a snowplow, Ross.  The roads are probably snow covered and they are trying to get them ready for morning.  It should come back in a few minutes and do the other side.”  He was just laying back down when the twins busted in the room.  “What in the name of Sam Hill…”  “JEREMY!” Demelza was addressing her son with frustration, “Enough with that phrase!”  Julia then asked, “Is the house falling down?  What was that?”  Demelza could hear in the distance that the plow was coming back in their direction.  Ross picked up Julia as Demelza picked up Jeremy and the four went to the front window to get a look at the dump truck loaded with salt and the ginormous blade / plow attached to the front.  “See,” she told them, “that’s all it is.  Somebody’s daddy gets paid to drive that truck all night to make sure we are safe in the morning.”  The kids smiled, ready to go back to their air mattress.  On the way out, Ross and Demelza heard Julia say to Jeremy, “Well, our daddy gets paid to ride horses and wear pointy hats.”  Ross groaned.  “Is what I do no more important than that?”  “It is to me, darling,” Demelza told him as she reached out to squeeze his hand, and they got back into bed.

 

Ross and Demelza were maybe asleep for three hours when they were awakened by the sound of Ana crying and then footsteps in the hall.  Demelza leaned over to Ross, “I’m going to go see if anyone needs help.”  She left the room, but was back in just minutes, “Everything is under control.”  Ross smiled from underneath all the blankets as Demelza told him, “This house is FREEZING!”  He peeled back the covers, revealing a spot next to him as he sleepily said, “Come back to our warm cocoon.”  She got in and he wrapped himself around her, “I have enough fur to keep both of us warm,” he chuckled.  “I don’t even know what time it is,” she admitted as she reached out for her phone.  “6 am Ohio time and 3 am our time.”  She kept looking at her phone after she announced the time.  “Demelza,” Ross was saying as he began to cup her breast and kiss the back of her neck, “put your phone down and snuggle with me.”  She kept staring at her phone.  “Sweetheart,” he continued to try for her attention by planting kisses on her skin.  “Ross, did you check your email yesterday?”  She didn’t wait for his answer as she reached across his body for his phone on the opposite night table, sticking her chest in his face as she stretched over him.  “Apparently this is the only action I’m getting…” he joked as she handed him his phone.  “Check your email,” she instructed. “You’re going to want to see this.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know that is Kili winking, but I'm sorry, he is ADORABLE. That wink, GAAAHHHH! Just pretend it's "Ross."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The email is revealed... and further proof that Julia is a pistol.

She handed him his phone.  He was wiping his eyes from sleep when he saw it.  “Demelza, is that…”  He opened the email and saw the sonogram.  “Is that our little peanut?”  Demelza was looking at the same image on her own phone.  “Yes!”  “He’s so small,”  Ross smiled.  “ _He_?”  Demelza was surprised.  “Ross, it’s only an 8 week sonogram.  All it does is confirm the due date as September.  The gender can’t be determined until 18 to 20 weeks.”  Ross looked a little bit more and said, “Nope.  It’s a boy.  There’s his penis.”  Demelza leaned over to see what he was looking at and then enlarged the picture on her own phone.  “Ross, that’s huge!  That’s a cord or a leg or a smudge or something.  The pic is so grainy.”  “Well, he’s a Poldark.  We have a reputation for being well-hung...”  “Oh, brother!”  Demelza was giggling and rolling her eyes.  Ross was enlarging the picture, “Do you think there’s more than one in there?”  "Ross, if our child has more than one penis then there's a problem!" "No, more than one BABY, Demelza." "So far not, unless there’s one hiding behind this one,” she was telling him.  “By this time last time we already knew there were two.”  He nodded as he put his phone back on the night table.  “What a nice surprise the sonogram was, Demelza.  When are we telling the kids?”  “When we know the gender.”  “Ok, will you snuggle with me now?”

She put her phone down as she scooted herself closer to him.  Her back was in his chest and her bum was in his groin.  He wrapped his arms around her.  “Can I tell you something?” she asked him.  She felt him nodding behind her.  “I’m a little nervous about having an infant again.  I really don’t enjoy that as much as when they are older like Jeremy and Julia.”  “Why?” he asked surprised.  “I worry so much because they can’t talk.  When they can start telling me exactly what is wrong and what they need, that’s so much better.”  He smiled, “Well, that’s why we are a team, Demelza.  Give me an infant any day because they _can't_  talk and ask me questions I don't know the answer to.  I don’t have to worry about warping their brains with what I say.”

They were silent before Ross said, “I never told you what happened the other day.”  She shook her head, “I don’t think you did.”  She flipped over on her back so she could see him as Ross did the same.  “So I’m in the shower,” he started in, “just minding my own business.  Got out, drying my hair and I hear, ‘Daddy?’”  Demelza was covering her eyes and shaking her head back and forth as she tried not to laugh.  “Yeah,”  Ross looked at her, “It was Julia.  She was staring right at me.  No, I take that back…she was staring right at _it._ ’”  “‘The Captain?’” which is what they affectionately called an erection.  “Oh, god, no!”  Ross grimaced.  “Don’t make this story worse than it already is. 'The Captain' was at ease," he joked and then explained,   “I don’t think I’ve ever moved so fast as I did that day putting my towel in front of my junk.  But it was too late.  She had _questions…”  “_ Oh, poor, Ross!”  Demelza genuinely said as she stifled her giggles.  “Yeah, she was bringing up size…and…hair,” he grimaced again.  “How come Jeremy’s didn’t look like mine?”  Everyone in the house knew what Jeremy looked like without clothing as he enjoyed going au natural whenever he could, also like his father had before the children came.  “Oh, Ross!” Demelza was covering her face with the sheets as she was wholeheartedly laughing now.  “What did you tell her?” she asked her husband.  “Exactly!  I thought _you_ were the one to have this conversation with her, but no, I had to scramble, as I was dripping and freezing, and holding a wet towel to my dangly bits.  I had to tell her that Jeremy has a boy’s penis and I have a man’s penis, and one day Jeremy will have hair on his chest just like me and in…other places.”

Demelza turned to lay her head on his chest, smoothing his t-shirt as they both were fully dressed in pajamas based on how cold it was, “I think you handled that perfectly.”  “No,” Ross was shaking his head again, “that’s not even where the story ends.  There’s _more.”_ “Oh, no!”  Demelza was giggling again.  “That same afternoon, the delivery man came with yet another one of your Amazon orders and…”  “No!”  Demelza was groaning.  “He was barely out of ear shot when Julia asked, ‘I wonder if his penis looks like yours or Jeremy’s?”  Ross turned to Demelza as they both broke out in laughter.  “What did you say?” she asked him again.  “I said, Julia…” Ross was still laughing, “that’s why they call them private parts.  You don’t ever need to discuss them.”  Demelza was coughing because she had laughed so hard.  “So,” Ross continued, “give me an infant any day over this!”

 

The Poldark family woke around 9 am.  The aroma of Rosina’s cinnamon rolls had traveled all the way upstairs.  Everyone bounded down to the kitchen as the snow continued to fall outside.  Then they showered and dressed and went outside where Demelza got videos of her children trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues.  Back inside, it was an afternoon of boardgames.  Sam even had some classic ones like Chutes and Ladders and Candyland, games they had played growing up in the Carne house.  Later, Demelza showed Rosina how to make her famous caramel corn as the kids and men watched movies.  The women stayed in the kitchen and assembled lasagna roll-ups for dinner.   Rosina looked out the window and saw that the snow had stopped.  She walked to the living room where Sam was giving Ana a bottle and told him, “Why don’t you let Ross feed her so you can go out and shovel the sidewalk?  It looks like the snow has stopped for a while.”  Sam stood up when Ross said, “Here, let me shovel.  I’m not doing anything right now.  Just tell me where everything is.” Sam was about to protest when Ross said, “'Daddy Feeding Time', it was my favorite part of the day.  I know how important it is and wouldn't want you to miss it.”  Sam smiled and sat back down with Ana.

Demelza was alone in the kitchen when Ross came in.  “Shoveling is no joke!  That shit is back-breaking!”  Demelza was laughing, “More strenuous than scything?”  “Smart ass,” he said as he shed his coat and the scarf his wife made him, and kissed her on the cheek.  “At least it’s something I don’t have to take my top off to do.” 

After dinner, Ross and Demelza took their children to the park the Carne’s told them about that was just down the street and had ice skating.  Ross and Demelza had barely secured their laces before the kids were gliding all over the ice.  Demelza had skated a lot as a teenager and could even skate backwards facing her children as she held their hands.  The biggest surprise of the night was that Ross couldn’t manage it at all.  He wiped out so many times, always falling flat on his ass.  “Dammit!” they heard him say as he was then sitting on the cold ice with his legs in front of him.  “Shit!”  “Bloody Hell!”  “Ross!”  Demelza scolded him as her children were giving her shocked looks about his vocabulary.  At one point he was standing still when his legs started wiggling underneath him, eventually landing him on the ice.  He spent the rest of the evening trying not to sulk as he sat on a bench and watched his family skating with ease.  Demelza came and sat by him, putting her hand on his back, “Well, I guess you had to be bad at something, or else we would all think you were perfect, which is what you are to me.”  She kissed him under the moon of the winter sky as the children shouted, “Mom!  Watch this!  Mom!  Look what I can do!  Mom!  MOMMMMMM!”  They turned their attentions, “Dad!  See how I can skate backwards now!  Dad. Dad!  Daddy!”  Their parents were lost in each other.

Demelza woke up on day three around 4 am.  This was their last full day in Ohio before flying back to California. She wanted to make a special breakfast for everyone as a thank you to their hosts for such a lovely visit.  She tiptoed downstairs where she put her coat on, quietly closing the front door, and started the rental car.  It had snowed a bunch again, but several years of living here had taught her how to drive on the ice.  She was halfway down the country road when she realized that maybe she had left her phone on the night table next to a still sleeping Ross.  

She reached for her purse as she drove, going through it with one hand, hoping to feel for it as she kept her eyes on the road.  She thought she had found it as she gazed into her purse, but it was her hairbrush.  She looked up and saw the rather large deer that had darted in front of her car.  She threw the brakes on to avoid hitting it, but the ice underneath caused her car to spin out of control.  She screamed as the vehicle rolled over, coming to rest in a ditch after hitting a telephone pole.  Her head was resting on the airbag that had deployed suddenly from the steering wheel.  She tasted the blood that was dripping in her mouth from who knows where.  And that’s when she passed out. 

 


	9. New Year's Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short drabble of how I thought Ross and Demelza rang in the new year...

It was New Year’s Eve.  Demelza’s Baba, (or what they had affectionately called her grandma who was born and raised in the old country), always told her about a traditional saying: Whatever you are doing at midnight on New Year’s Eve is what you will be doing the rest of the year.  If you are sleeping: you will be lazy and will not prosper during that year.  If you are working: your year will be full of jobs and tasks and not with fun.  If you are with friends: you will be surrounded by people that care about you; and if you are kissing someone: your year will be full of love.  Growing up, Demelza seemed to always ring in the year by taking care of her brothers, or cooking and cleaning; things her father should have been doing had he not been passed out or drunk.  But life was different after she met Ross.

Today the Poldarks were celebrating the New Year as they always did, together as a family.  Knowing midnight was way too late for 6 year olds, Ross and Demelza had them celebrate by Skyping grandma and grandpa Poldark in Ireland, which was eight hours ahead of them in California.  They had noisemakers and hats, one for Garrick too, and even gave the children pots and pans to beat with wooden spoons at exactly 4 pm, while the twins shouted into Demelza’s IPAD, “Happy New Year, Mimi and Poppy!”  Kisses were blown before the call was ended.  Then, the family sat down at the kitchen island to eat the traditional sour kraut and pork meal.  Julia was saying, “I don’t know why this is a special treat. It makes me gassy…”  “Yeah,” Jeremy was agreeing, “that isn’t good luck for any of us!”  Demelza swapped her daughter’s plate for a bowl of mac and cheese.

The kids were put to bed at their regular bedtime and Ross and Demelza stayed up watching TV and waiting for the stroke of midnight.  Demelza did her usual: mopping, laundry,  and dishes, like she did every night; but tonight Ross was reminding her, “Watch the clock, Demelza!  Don’t be doing this stuff at midnight!  Make sure you're in my arms so I can kiss you, ok?”  She giggled, “Ok.”

At 11:30, Ross was heading up the stairs.  “Where are you going?”  she came out of the laundry room to ask.  “I’m tired. I think I’m going to watch the ball drop from bed.  Come up with me?”  “I will as soon as I fold these towels.”  “Well, watch the clock…” he reminded her again. Five minutes later she climbed in bed next to Ross.  He had the TV on as he laid on his back under the covers.  “Come here,” he said with a soft voice and she scooted over to him to be in his arms.  It didn’t take her very long to realize, “Are you naked?”  “Maybe,” he said impishly, and she smoothed her hand down the hair of his chest and stomach on her way down to the curly hair that was lower.  “You are naked!” she chuckled.  “Why aren’t you?” he asked and she shed her clothes.

They were on their sides, facing each other.  Demelza laid across Ross’s left arm as he put his hand on her back, pressing him against her, skin to skin.  With his right hand, he was taking his finger and tracing the outlines of her face: around her forehead, down her cheek to her chin, across her nose and then her lips; all with the softest touch as he looked at her with complete love in his eyes.  He kissed her as his hand went down to squeeze her breast.  He asked her, “Do you even know how much I love you?”  She searched his eyes, not sure of what to say.  “A lot?” she posed more as a question than an answer.  “Oh, sweetheart,” he was tracing her face again, “I love you more than _anything_ in the world…”  He kissed her eyes, her cheeks, and then her mouth.  He went lower as he found her breast for teasing with his tongue and she threw her head back.  He wasted no time as he nipped and kissed her neck at her pulse-point; his hand replacing his mouth on her breast.  His lips found hers, and she felt his warm tongue entering her mouth.  

His hand traveled lower where he found her wet and welcoming.  “Darling,” was all he said as he threw her leg over his hip.  They continued to lay belly to belly as he entered her.  She gasped and his hand went to the full cheek of her buttock that belonged to her bent leg she was resting on him. He leaned her into him and kept her there, drawing her closer and closer.  He began to thrust slowly like a man who was just enjoying the warmth and sensations of his wife rather than someone in a hurry to chase down a quick release. His movements were slow enough that he could kiss her tenderly while he moved in and out.  She had completely forgotten what day and what time it was as he filled her completely.  In the distance they heard the countdown.  She broke their kiss as he moved down to her neck, “Happy New Year, Ross.”  “Happy New Year, Demelza.  If your grandmother was right, I’ll be making love to you all year.”  He continued his thrusting as he punctuated his words, “All. Year. Long.”

                                                                           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this really isn't important to the storyline, but I thought I would post it anyway. I promise the next chapter I post will get back to the cliffhanger.
> 
> I miss by Baba everyday. What I wouldn't give to have just 5 more minutes with her. 
> 
>  
> 
> I wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who read, commented, and left kudos on my work. I never knew that I could write anything, and when I did, I doubted anyone would read it. Can you believe I'm already on the THIRD "book" of this story? You have all made 2017 such an amazing year for me and I am so grateful to each and every one of you. I hope your 2018 is fantastic! Sincerely, Me :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross rushes to Demelza's crash site and later Sam reveals some thoughts he's been keeping secret for a long time...

 

Demelza wasn’t sure if she was awake or dreaming, but she kept hearing the same thing over and over, “Lady?  Are you ok?  Can you hear me?  Lady?”  She opened her eyes and had no idea where she was or what had happened.  She was in a car for some reason.  She saw a man, maybe in his late 20’s.  She didn’t realize at first that she was screaming.  “Hey, it’s ok,” the man was saying.  “You were in a car accident, but I’ve already called 911.  The police and ambulance are on their way.”  She had no idea that this man had been driving in his truck a ways behind her, and had seen the whole thing: the deer, the car flipping, everything.  He had run to her side just seconds after it had happened.

Demelza was trying to get out of the car now.  “Whoa!” he was saying, “Just stay put until the ambulance gets here.  You might be in shock and not realizing how injured you are.”  She felt something on her cheek and put her hand in what she found was blood.  “You’ve got a gash on your forehead,” he told her, “It’s kind of running down your face.”  She was starting to look pale again, so he tried to distract her by asking questions and then doing most of the talking. “I’m Brian.  What’s your name?  Demelza?  Wow, that’s a beautiful name.  Very different.  I don’t think I’ve heard it before.  Are you from around here?  California?  Oh, visiting?”  He noticed that she seemed to be more awake and aware now.  “You got a cell phone?  Shouldn’t you call someone?”  “My husband, Ross,” she told him, “but I accidentally left my phone at home.”  “That’s ok,” Brian said, “if you give me the number I can call him.  You said his name is Ross?”

At the Carne’s house, Ross was sleeping, completely oblivious that his wife was not next to him or that she was in trouble.  He reached for his cellphone when it rang, and looking at the screen, he had no idea who the number belonged to.  He turned over to ask Demelza if it was someone she knew when he saw she was not there.  He answered, “Hello?”  “Is this Ross?”  “Who’s calling?” Ross asked untrustingly.  “Ummm…my name is Brian.  I’m here with your wife…what did you say your name was again?”  Ross heard his wife’s voice in the background saying, “Demelza.”  Ross flew up in bed.  “She’s been in an accident and we’re waiting on the cops and EMS.”  “Dear God!”  Ross was shouting.  He was looking at the empty spot where she had been laying when he saw her own phone still on the nightstand. That wasn’t going to do any good.  “Where is she?” Ross asked as his hands were shaking.  Brian looked around and gave him the address and the road.  “I’m on my way!”

Ross jumped up and swapped his pajama pants for a pair of jeans. No time for underwear, and no time to laugh that he was ‘going commando.’  It was 4:57 am, so he woke up Sam and Rosina and asked them if he could borrow one of their cars.  Sam asked if he should go too as Ross assured him to stay at home with the kids while he brought Demelza back.  His hands were barely steady enough to start the car and as he was driving, he felt like he was seeing things through a tunnel from his heart that was beating out of control.  He kept trying to calm himself down by remembering that he had heard his wife’s voice; she was awake and talking.  She remembered not only her name but his telephone number; the weird one he still had from Ireland.  

Ross was there in seconds as her accident was just down the road.  If he had calmed himself on the way over, that all went to hell when he saw the car in the ditch.  Judging by the damage it sustained, his wife must be in a terrible state.  He threw his car in park as he jumped out and ran over.  He wasn’t even sure he shut the car door and he didn’t care.  Demelza was still sitting in the driver’s seat but had turned to the side so that her legs and feet were on the snow-covered ground in front of her.  She was shivering. He couldn’t run to her quickly enough.  He saw the blood on her face, “Demelza, my god!  Are you ok?”  He dropped to his knees in front of her, reaching for her hands as he brought them to his mouth to kiss and leaned his face on the backs of them.  She immediately burst into tears. He scooted closer and pulled her forwards to him so he could hold her.  She was getting blood on his jacket as she rested her head on his shoulder but he couldn’t care less.  He tried but wasn’t able to understand what she was saying through her sobs, so he just let her talk as he nodded and stroked her hair.  “Where were you going, sweetheart?”  he asked when she got quiet, and when he heard the answer said, “Why didn’t you wake me up?  I would’ve gladly gone to the grocery store with you…yes, at 4 am.”  She started crying again and he went back to soothing her as he said, “You’ve got the biggest heart, Demelza.  Always thinking of others first.”  He was so engrossed in comforting her that he didn’t even see the young man approaching until somebody behind him was saying, “I’m Brian.”  Brian had waited for husband and wife to have their moment, but thought it best that he go over and tell Ross what he saw.  Ross jumped to his feet, exuberantly shaking his hand, “God, I’m so grateful that you were here to help her.  What if she just laid here alone?”  

Brian told him everything about the deer (who had escaped the incident unscathed), and the accident, and how it had all happened.  He was barely finished when the cops and ambulance pulled up.  The police officer came over to Demelza to get info from her to file the report.  Another officer was getting a statement from Brian as Ross was retrieving Demelza’s driver’s license from her purse, amazingly still on the passenger seat beside her.  Brian saw that everything was under control and was getting ready to leave.  He came over to Ross and Demelza and addressed her by saying, “I hope you aren’t too hurt and that you feel better soon.”  Demelza was thanking him as Ross shook his hand one more time, “Brian, thank you so much for taking care of my wife.  I can’t imagine if she was here alone with no one to help her. I wish there was something I could do to repay you for your kindness.”  Ross was getting his wallet out as he ruffled through bills.  “Oh, no, no!”  Brian reacted by waving a hand in front of him.  “I’m just glad I was here.  I don’t need anything in return.”  “Are you sure?”  Ross asked again.  “I wish there was something I could do.”  “Well…” Brian looked down, almost embarrassed, “there is something, but I feel really stupid asking it.”  “Anything!” Ross was practically shouting.  “I can’t help recognize who you are, and my mom watches your show every Sunday night. She won’t even answer her phone if someone calls while you’re on.  I know she would love an autograph, but the timing here is really awful to ask for it.”  Ross immediately patted his jacket pockets: no pen.  He went back to his wife’s purse and found an old grocery list and a pen.  “Is this good enough?”  Brian nodded and had enough sense that now was not the right time to also request taking a picture.  Ross asked for his mother’s name and scribbled a short note, “Bonny, thanks for watching.  You should be so proud of the son you raised. I will always be so grateful for his help," and then signed it, “All the best, Ross Poldark.”  He shook Brian’s hand once again, and Ross and Demelza watched him drive away.

The paramedics came over to where she was sitting.  With one on each side of her, they stood her up and helped her out of the car.  She immediately told everyone that she was not in any pain but that she was a bit dizzy.  They of course suggested she get checked out at the hospital and Ross wasn’t surprised when she refused.  He was well aware of her stubbornness.  “Sweetheart, I would feel better if you would.”  “Ross, I’m not riding in the ambulance!  I’m fine.”  She finally agreed to let Ross take her in Sam’s car.  He was helping her into the passenger seat when the tow truck was starting to hook up the rental car for removal.

As Ross was pulling away, Demelza said, “Ross, I totaled that rental car.  I’m so sorry!”  He was shaking his head, “Demelza, stop it!  Who cares!  Just as long as you are ok.  It could’ve been so much worse.”  She was staring out the window, “Ross, I could’ve had the kids in the back and…” He interrupted her, “But you didn’t.  Don’t borrow trouble, darling.”

Two hours later they were walking in the Carne’s house as everyone ran to the door.  “She has lacerations and burns to her face,”  Ross was telling them.”  “What’s that?” Jeremy said pointing.  “Something I don’t need,” Demelza said grumpily.  “It’s a neck brace,” Ross explained.  “Mommy has had some trauma to her neck,” and turned to Demelza, “They told you to wear it for 24 to 48 hours.”  “More like 24 minutes,” she was grumbling.  She immediately smiled and apologized to the group,  “I’m sorry.  I’m just really tired and want to lay down.  I don’t mean to be this grumpy.”  Everyone smiled back at her as Rosina said, “Can I get you anything to eat?”  Demelza shook her head and said again, “I just really want to lay down.

Ross helped her upstairs and came back down.  Rosina and Sam learned how loud and for how long Ana could laugh when Ross played peek-a-boo with her.  Then he sat on the floor and played with building blocks with his own children.  He went out to the kitchen and asked Rosina if she needed any help with the big pot of potato soup she was making, and even took the trash out for her.  He looked at the clock and noticed a couple of hours had passed and decided to go check on his wife.

He saw her auburn curls on the pillow and her beautiful blue eyes looking at him when he got upstairs. “Hi,” he said softly, as he took a seat on the side of her bed.  Sam, down the hall in Ana’s room, also had the idea to check on Demelza, and was about to walk in when he saw Ross already there.  Ducking back into the hall, he knew he should leave and give them their space, but he never cared for this “arrogant prick” that his sister somehow had married, and always wondered how she got treated when no one was watching.  Now was the time to find out.  He stood by the door and listened.

“How are you feeling, darling?”  “I’m ok, Ross.  I’m just a little sore.”  Ross was smoothing her stomach, “You gave me such a scare today, sweetheart.”  He was getting a little teary-eyed as he told her, “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.  You’re my entire world.  I’m nothing without…” She interrupted him by grabbing his hand, “Who’s borrowing trouble now?  Ross, I’m fine.”  He told her, “I don’t think my heart has ever beat as loud as it did when I saw you today with that blood on your face.  And I can think of 4 other times that my heart was beating pretty loudly.”  She was smiling, “What are the four times?”  “Would you like them in chronological order?”  “Can you do that?” she asked surprised.  “Easy,” he nodded.  “The first time was when I was standing at the meat counter at Whole Foods and this angel was walking towards me."  “Ross…” she was blushing now.  “The second time was 3 months after we started dating and that angel decided the time was right for me to take her to my bed.”  Sam froze in the hall.  He figured Ross was a real Casanova and had bedded his sister as soon as he could, like their first date.  But waiting months for her to initiate it?  It didn’t sound like the man he pictured Ross to be.  Ross was still talking, “I was so nervous when I laid with you that night, but I honestly think my heart was beating louder after we made love.”  “After?”  she asked confused, “Why?”  “Because I knew there was no going back for me.  I knew even more that you were the one, and I wasn’t sure if you felt the same about me.” 

Sam was starting to realize three things: one: he really shouldn’t be standing out here eavesdropping; two: he had severely misjudged the man his sister had married; and three: he was dying to hear what the third and fourth times were.  He had stood out here long enough, what was a few seconds more?  Sam heard his sister saying, “But I did feel the same, Ross. I had never loved anyone since my mom died, and I was petrified.  I didn’t want to love you but I did.”  Ross kissed her hand, “The third time was the second time I proposed to you.  When you refused me the first time, I was devastated.  I couldn’t imagine my life without you.  And there was a real possibility of you saying no again.”  Sam couldn’t believe that this “ladies man” would actually wait around for his sister and would not have immediately moved on to whatever Victoria’s Secret model would serve as the next flavor of the month.  “But I didn’t say no,” she told him, and he quickly said, “And you made me the happiest man on the face of this earth.”  He leaned over and kissed her on the lips as she laid on her pillow.  “Do you know what the last time was?”  She shook her head.  “When they walked in and put our babies in my arms and I knew I would spend the rest of my life trying to be the best father and husband I could be.”  “Well, you’ve succeeded at that,” she said as he kissed her palm, “and if you keep talking you’ll succeed in making me cry.”  “Alright.  I think I’ll go take the kids to the park. Will you be ok?”  he asked her.  “Yes, I think I’m just going to sleep a little bit more.”  “Ok,” he smiled.  And when he left the room he bumped into Sam.

“Oh, hi,” Sam greeted his brother in law, a little bit sheepishly, Ross noticed.  “I just came up here to talk to Demelza.” “She’s still awake if you want to go in,” Ross told her.  “Is it ok if I take the twins to the park?  Do you and Rosie need me to do anything?”  “No, go ahead.  The innertubes are in the garage.”   Ross patted him on the shoulder and made his way down the stairs.

Sam came in and sat in the chair by the window next to the bed.  He looked at his sister, “It’s been so great to spend time with you.”  She agreed, “It has.  I really haven’t seen you too much since I got married.”  Sam looked out the window and saw Ross and the kids playing in the snow.   “There’s a reason for that.  I’m going to be honest,” he said, “I’ve never really liked that man,” and gestured out the window.  Demelza looked at him, “Are you referring to my husband, _Ross,_ as ‘that man?’ Why would you say you didn’t like him?”  “Look at him: that hair, the accent, his charm…who does he think he is?  Let’s be honest, you’ve never really picked men that were good to you.”  She agreed, “But that’s just it.  I didn’t pick him.  He picked me.  And I fought him every step of the way.  Do you know I never told him that I couldn’t have children until he _proposed_ to me?  And I swear I did it to push him away.  Even after he decided he didn’t care and that he still loved my barren-ass anyways, I refused to see him?  It was like I was telling myself I wasn’t allowed to be happy since mom died.”

“Well, I was wrong about him, Demelza.  He’s a great guy….not like a celebrity at all.  I was shocked when he offered to shovel for me.  I thought he’d always throw the ‘fame-card’ around.”  “Ross is just Ross,” Demelza told him.  “He can turn it on when he has to and he definitely knows how to work a red carpet, which is really funny to watch; but he literally can’t wait to get back home.”  

“Rosina loves him.  Says he’s a real gentleman and a great father.”  He chuckled a little, “Or should I say _Rosie_?”  Demelza laughed, “He loves to make nicknames for people:  Jules, Jare…”  “What does he do with your name?”  “The ususal: Dem, Demi, Dee.”  She stopped and grinned, “He made a funny one the other day, I’m trying to remember…Oh, right, He called me MELZ!”  “He’s _crazy_ about you,” Sam told her.   He looked out the window and saw the twins throwing snowballs at Ross, “And he adores those kids, and they adore him.”  Demelza smiled as he asked her, “Is he laughing and smiling all the time?”  She nodded her head before explaining, “He’s human like everyone else…he gets tired and cranky, but for the most part, yes.”  “Do you know who was also always laughing and smiling?”  Her smile immediately vanished.  “Please don’t,” she begged him.  “Well, she was, Demelza, and mom would’ve loved him.”  She started crying.  “Demelza, you know you look just like her now, at least what I remember of her, and when I see you interacting with your own children, it’s like…”  “Shut up, please, Sam!  Haven’t I been through enough today?”  “Demelza, she would’ve been so proud of you.” “Judas! Enough!”  Demelza implored as she covered her eyes and sobbed.  Sam came and sat on her bed, “Ok, no more, Dem.  He sat by her side and held her hand until she stopped crying.  “Are you ok?”  She nodded.  “Well, get some rest, if I haven’t made you totally depressed.”  “You have, you f*cking asshole!” she joked  “There’s the sister I know and love!” 

When Demelza woke from her long nap, Ross, the twins, and the Carnes were all sitting around the table playing cards.  Ana was on Ross’s lap, and whatever game they were playing was making everyone laugh, Demelza noted when she walked into the kitchen.  Ross heard the footsteps behind him and quickly turned around, “Darling!”  Sam saw how his face completely lit up.  Ross immediately jumped up, handing Ana to Rosina as he told his wife, “Here, take my chair and come sit with us.  Are you hungry?  We kept the soup warm for you.”  Demelza nodded as Ross put his arm around her shoulders, helping her sit down at the table.  He walked over to the stove, ladling a goodly portion of the simmering soup into a bowl.  Even the twins jumped up, Jeremy getting the crackers for his mother as Julia grabbed a spoon.  Everyone came back to the table and Ross pulled up a stool from the island to join them.  “Tell mommy the name of the game we were playing because I forgot.”  Jeremy answered, “Slap Jack!”  Demelza remembered the game well from her own childhood, “Well that explains all the laughing!”

An hour later, it was time to put Ana to bed.  Everyone was jumping up from the table as Rosina was starting to clear Demelza’s dishes.  “I  can do it, Rosina,”  Demelza said with her neck brace dutifully still on to make Ross happy.  “Nope, allow me,” Ross was saying as he took the dishes to the sink, where he rinsed them before loading them in the dishwasher.  Demelza saw Sam walk over, “You’re a good man, Ross.  Thank you for taking care of my sister.”  Ross would be lying if he said he hadn’t felt the coolness Sam had shown towards him for years, maybe always.  He looked over at Demelza, caught off guard by this and totally unprepared as to what he was supposed to say.  Sam kept going, “I hope our families can spend more time together.”  “I’d like that,” Ross answered.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you remember when there was a mining accident on the show, and Demelza rushed to Ross's side? She knelt in front of him and kept pressing her cheeks on the backs of his hands as she held them? I really wanted to have a role reversal here, so that Ross was doing that for her. That was my inspiration about how Ross knelt in front of her when he rushed out to her crash.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Rosina take the twins to the market with them and Ross and Demelza stay home to "pack..."

Demelza woke up the day after her accident absolutely freezing and quickly learned why.  She had been sleeping with zero covers.  One glance over her shoulder to her husband revealed that he was completely wrapped in all of them, much like a burrito.  She smiled to herself, “Blanket hog!”  She looked for and took an edge of the covers, pulling violently to release a bit that was trapped under the weight of his body.  He was starting to stir when she giggled, “Ross, I’m freezing.”  He also was having trouble dislodging himself and was lifting his body off the mattress as she tugged at the sheets.  He never opened his eyes as he was still too sleepy.  She finally got the blankets she needed and was snuggling up to him.  “Holy crap!  You’re so warm!” she told him as she was getting as close as she could to his body.  And then he screamed.

“Bullocks!  What was that?”  She laughed because she knew she had just put her feet, that were the temperature of blocks of ice, on the warm skin of his legs.  “Well, my feet wouldn’t be so cold if _someone_ didn’t steal all the covers.”  He was awake now and began to spoon her body, “Demelza, let me warm you up…”  “You are,” she told him, “I already feel much better.”  She felt his hand going underneath the hem of her shirt, “No, let me _warm you up._ ”  It had been four days that she had kept him at bay at the Carne’s house, and quite frankly, she was going crazy with desire herself.  She loved that after 8 years of marriage, he seemed to want her just as much, if not more, than when they first married, and she felt the same way too.  He was talking in his bedroom voice as his hand massaged her breasts, “I can be quiet…oh so quiet…you know I can.”  She hated to admit she loved when he begged.  He was kissing her neck as she felt him poking her through his pajama pants.  “And Sam and Rosie down the hall will have no idea,” he reassured her, “probably because right now they are also having sex…”  Demelza was laughing. “Ok,” she told him as he wrapped his arms around her, his other hand exploring her auburn curls below her waistband.  When she turned around to kiss him was the second time that morning that he screamed.

“That bad?” she asked him, knowing he was probably reacting to her face.  “I wasn’t ready for how purple everything was going to be.” “That’s what she said!”  she joked to try to lighten the mood but he didn’t laugh.  His eyes were filled with horror.  He was quiet for a minute as he sadly admitted, “It looks like I beat the living shit out of you!”  “Oh, no one’s going to think that!”  she told him while she reached for her phone.  “Everyone’s going to think that, Demelza!”  

She reversed the camera and looked at herself on the screen.  Her eyes looked swollen and black, and she still had burns on her cheeks and around her nose from the “explosion” of the airbag.  “Well, I feel fine,” and she put her phone on the night table as she resumed her spot in her husband’s embrace, putting her lips against his.  He tried not to back up, but he was leaning away.  “Ross?”  “Demelza, I don’t want to hurt you.  With your bruises, my gut reaction is to just hold you and protect you and tell you everything is going to be ok,” he said while wrapping his arms around her and smoothing her hair, “but I’m not sure I’m turned on…”  “Not even ‘The Captain’ can talk some sense into you?” and she reached her hand down for her own explorations, noting his lack of excitement.  “Demelza, ‘man down…’ ‘The Captain’ has gone AWOL and is MIA.”  “Alright,” she exhaled, “but you’re missing out.”  He held her tightly to him as he kissed the top of her head.  He broke the silence by saying, “I think we should go show the twins.”

Ross knocked on the door to Ana’s room and opened it to find his children there alone and awake.  “Daddy!” Jeremy greeted him.  "We’re both ready to get up.  Ana was fussy and woke us.”  Ross smiled, “Ok, but we want to show you what mommy looks like.  She still has some bruising on her face but she feels fine.”  Demelza was saying out in the hall, “It looks worse than it feels.”  The kids nodded and Demelza stepped in.  Everyone immediately burst into tears. It reminded Demelza of the one time she had drastically cut her hair when the twins were little and they had sobbed that she “didn’t look like mommy.”  They were sobbing that way again today.  “Guys, look!  I’m fine!”  Demelza was telling them as she was kicking her legs in front of her like The Rockettes.  “I feel great!  Look, I can do my ‘Happy Dance’ like I always do.”  It took a few minutes but the kids were now giggling and smiling.  The family headed downstairs for breakfast as Ross told his wife, “I don’t think we should fly out today.  Maybe we could wait until you look …” He stopped, not wanting to hurt her feelings.  She was closing her eyes and shaking her head, “Just say it.”  “A little better?” he shrugged apologetically.

When they got to the kitchen, both Sam and Rosina dropped their jaws at the sight of her.  “Sweet Mother of Pearl!” Sam was shouting.  “And good morning to you also,”  Demelza replied with sarcasm.  “I just said to Demelza that maybe we should wait to leave until she’s gotten a bit better,” Ross was explaining to them.  Rosina nodded but informed them, “Have you looked out the window yet?  Almost a foot of snow was dropped overnight.”  Both Ross and Demelza were now peering outside.  “Roads are shut down and flights are cancelled.  You couldn’t leave if you tried,” she explained to them.  Ross looked at Demelza, “Sweetheart, I think the weather has made this decision for us.”  Sam and Rosina both assured them it was no trouble at all for them to stay longer while the weather conditions improved.

It was three more days of lake effect snow, thanks to good old Lake Erie, mugs of hot cocoa and stories by the fire, family dinners, sledding down hills, snowball fights, and ice skating.  So many memories were made.  All Demelza had to do was wrap the scarf she made for Ross around her face with her sunglasses and other families at the park had no idea that anything was amiss.  She and Ross held their children, one on each lap, as they went shrieking down the snow covered hills a mile a minute in inner tubes.  Sam traded his shovel for the snowblower he kept in the garage, making giant mountains of snow in the front yard.  Demelza showed her family how to dig a “door” in the front of the snow pile, making an igloo, or what she called a “snow fort,”  big enough for them to crawl in and sit.  Ross and Demelza took so many fun pictures of the kids.

By day two of the extended visit, Demelza’s burns were not as angry looking, and the day after that, she only looked like she had one black eye as everything else was easily concealed behind makeup.  The morning of their evening departure, Rosina announced that she had a special lunch planned for them as a bit of a send off, and then took everyone, including Jeremy and Julia, to the market for supplies, leaving Ross and Demelza behind to pack and get ready.  Before the grocery store group left, Ross took Jeremy and Julia aside, giving them money and instructions, “Tell Rosina that I gave you guys some cash to buy mommy some ‘get well’ flowers.  Let everyone think that.  But, what I really want you to do is get Rosina a pretty bouquet for letting us stay so many days here, Ok?  Can you do that?”  They nodded their heads, “Remember, say the flowers are for mommy.”

 

Ross was showering as Demelza was getting everything packed and in their travel bags.  She had turned on a playlist of the popular songs in Ireland to keep her company as she worked.  She was folding Ross’s jeans when she heard the first notes of the music.  It was the same song they had danced to at a club in Dublin, the time Demelza flew over to take care of him with his broken shoulder.  They had had a bit to drink that night and when this song came on, they hit the floor, not caring Ross’s arm was in a sling.  The tempo was fast and the bass was thumping; the music was loud and the dance floor crowded, yet there were still so many dark corners lovers could use to their advantage.  The strobe lights were flashing to a beat that was absolutely hypnotic.  Even injured, Ross’s dancing prowess could not be stifled, he and Demelza bumping and grinding as close to actually having sex as they could.  They didn’t care. A combination of the alcohol and being previously separated by an ocean had brought their inhibitions way down that night.  Demelza remembered the steamy cab ride back to his parent's house; she straddled his lap as they furiously made out, grabbing, moaning…all with the poor cab driver at the wheel. Her back was turned to the driver as her husband was passionately exploring her mouth with his tongue. She bit his bottom lip, pulling and stretching it towards her as she heard him growl with delight.  She remembered Ross had slurred an explanation to the cabbie upon arrival to the house, "Sssss'ok...sheez m'wife," and then gave him a hefty tip for their misbehavior before Demelza pulled her husband into the house and led him up the stairs to his childhood bedroom where she made all his boyhood dreams come true. 

Ross peeked his head around the bathroom door, “Is that…”  She nodded.  “Remember the last time we heard that song?”  She nodded knowingly.  He came out with just a towel wrapped around his waist, his torso still glistening with moisture. He shut the suitcase she was packing, “I believe we are the only ones home,” he rasped in her ear.  “Let’s not let this go to waste.”  She turned off the music as she began to smooth the water drops on his muscular, bare chest, running her hands down his still wet, and well defined arms.  She reached down and undid his towel, letting it fall to the floor as he was giving her slow, lingering, whisper-soft kisses all over her eyes, cheeks, and chin.  “How’s…Your…Face?” He asked with a low voice as his kisses punctuated every word.  “I’m fine," she reassured him as the goosebumps were forming on her arms.  He kissed her from her shoulder up to her ear,  “Does your neck still hurt?”  “Too much talking, Ross."  

He took her hand and led her to the bed where he took a seat on the edge.  He reached for her as he sat her facing him on his still damp thighs.  He was planting super soft kisses on her lips that had her begging for more.  “I’m getting your pajamas wet,” he whispered his apology into her neck.  “Then take them off…” she told him.  She got off his lap to make the task easier and then stood naked in front of him.  He took a moment to appreciate her beauty, looking at her as if it were the first time, not quite believing he was lucky enough to call this woman his wife. “You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen…” 

That's all it took to make her fly back into his lap.  With a bent knee on each side of his body she straddled him again where he sat.  Her breasts felt heavy as she panted for contact of anything: his mouth, his tongue, his hands. He knew what she wanted as he sucked and massaged each one.  She stood up on her knees, practically bringing her breast to his mouth as her hands went to the back of his head to keep him in place. Her fingers were now raking through his beautiful curls above each ear, bringing his hair back in her hands as he almost brought her to her edge by the skill of his ministrations. Sitting back down on his legs, she wrapped her arms around his neck as their tongues were warring. She felt the hair of his belly on her own stomach and he pressed her chest into his own.  He held her so tightly, one hand above her buttocks, and the other on her back as he leaned his neck to meet her lips. “Please, Ross…”  She was so ready and thought she would explode if she had to wait a second longer for him to be inside her.  

He was lifting her by the hips as she looked down to help guide her onto him.  It was instantly electric and perfect.  “Ross, the way you’re filling me…”  “You’re so tight, Demelza,” he growled.  “It’s like I can feel every bit of you.”  He held her slightly above him, and his hips snapped up and into her, his pelvis with each thrust repeatedly hitting that magical bundle of nerves that was her undoing.  She pushed down to meet each thrust and they found a rhythm that was pure bliss.  He moved his hands down to her buttocks to grab for stability as she began a rocking motion on him.  He could feel her knees on each side of him beginning to tremble.  Her whole body was beginning to quake in his arms.  He continued his hip movements when he felt her rest her forehead on his shoulder.  “Demelza?”  She felt what was gaining momentum inside her, “Ross…a big one…”  “Then do it, sweetheart.  Let go for me.”  She didn’t even try to stifle her cries as he felt her spilling down onto him, gripping his manhood from within and coating him with her warmth.  He held her through it, until her body slowed down it’s spasms.  He was about to flip them over to lay on top of her but realized there was no time when he felt his own throbbing beginning.  He saw her face contorting in her second fit of ecstasy when he released his load deep inside of her.  He kept thrusting, slowing the pace down considerably as he continued pouring himself deep inside her.  “Demelza…god…I love you…wooo…” he said with his gorgeous sex-face, and even gave a small laugh like what had come over him was either tickling or overwhelming him.  

He fell back on the bed while she rolled off.  He scooted them up to the pillows and covered them as they snuggled, their legs entwined.  They laid for several minutes in the quiet of the empty house.  "Well, I'd say 'The Captain' has been 'honorably discharged,'" he said and she felt him smiling.  “Did you get it, sweetheart?”  he asked as he took her hand.  “Twice, so your reputation is still very much in tact,” she told him.  “Good,” he smiled and she noted that his eyes wore an expression of being totally sated, but yet were also heavy with sleep.  

She kissed his chest and looked up at him again, gently reminding, “Everyone will be back soon.  We’ve got to get up and get moving.  I’m afraid there’s no time for sleeping.”  He was groaning, “You’ve worn me out!”  “Well…” she said apologetically.  “You have to get up and take a shower and get dressed.”  “I just took a shower,” he protested.  “You need another one. You’re kind of sticky,” she said as her body was pressed against him.  “Stinky?”  “Well, maybe that too, but I said _sticky._   And I need you to hurry a bit since I will now need to shower too.”  “Arrrgghhhh,” he was complaining as he got up, picking up his towel from the first shower that was still on the floor.  He turned and reclined back to give her one more kiss before he left her.  “You were so lovely,” he said as he got up.

Demelza threw on her pajamas and went down the hall to retrieve her kids’ clothes that needed to be packed.  When she got back, Ross was already showered and dressing.  She came in the room, made a face, and fanned the air in front of her nose, “Do you smell it in here?  I didn’t notice it until I left and came back.”  She walked past him to retrieve the bottle of air freshener in the bathroom and began spraying it around the room.  “Good idea,” he said as his eyes followed her darting around the room.  “Your brother takes our kids to the store and while he’s gone I shag his sister in his own house.”  She laughed.  “You make it sound so elicit.  We’re _married_ , Ross.”  

She walked the can back to the bathroom, shed her pajamas, and got into the shower.  Ross walked in, taking a seat on the sink counter, “I don’t think Sam likes me…”  “What?” She pulled the shower curtain back, sticking just her face out to look at him.  “I’ve felt for a long time that something was off between us,” he elaborated.  She shook her head, shut the curtain, and put her head back under the water as she explained, “That’s just Sam.  He’s the intense one and Drake is the fun one.  When mom died and I was left to look after my brothers, Sam took it upon himself to be the one to look after me.  Sometimes I feel like he’s the older brother and I’m the younger sister, rather than the other way around.”  She laughed, “Nobody’s ever been good enough for his sister, including you.”  Ross got up and pulled the curtain back to look at her, “He said that?”  She was rinsing the conditioner from her hair as she said, “Well, what he said was that he _thought_ that, but this visit has taught him that you’re ok.”  She shut the water off and he handed her a towel.  “He said that?”  “Yes,” she nodded as she toweled off her hair and body.  “Was that what all the ‘Ross, you’re a good man’ came from?”  “Yes, he likes you now.  Realizes he was wrong.”  He followed her into the bedroom where she was throwing her clothes on.  He smiled at her, “Good.  It’s only taken him the 8 years we’ve been married…and he’s hated me that whole time?”  She giggled as they were making their way downstairs to wait for everyone to come home, “And he’s going to hate you again if you don’t get that ‘I just snogged your sister’ look off your face.  Ross laughed and humorously relaxed his face muscles, revealing a new expression to her.  “Nope, still got it,” she told him.  More relaxing, “How about now?”  “Nope, still there.”  “Demelza, I think it’s just my face…” 

      

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case you wondered, the song I had envisioned them dancing to at the club was Pulling Me In by Phantoms. Such a great beat. But also, I think Strip That Down by Liam Payne also works. 
> 
> My mom had been reading my chapters when I started writing Chef. I really felt she was holding me back, especially on the sex chapters, so I conveniently closed her browser on her iPad knowing she would not know how to get back there herself. I then wrote with wild abandonment. Then, she wanted me to read my chapters to her. I would read but skip the sex parts and she would say, "Come on, read them to me! How bad can it be?" I don't think you've experienced real embarrassment until you read ALOUD something like this to your MOTHER. My nephew, who is the funniest person in the world, told me, "Just tell her, "Oh, just a boring part here, no need to read. Ross and Demelza are going to Crochet Club. Page three, still at crochet club. Page 15: this crochet club is very thorough. Page 37: STILL at crochet club." So, I literally wanted to put in the summary, "Ross and Demelza go to Crochet Club." LOL


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Poldarks leave Cleveland for California...

The Poldarks were making their way to their terminal, all pulling their rolling bags behind them.  They had just given tearful hugs to the Carne’s, promising to come visit soon.  Rosina had been tickled when Jeremy and Julia presented her with the beautiful flowers that she thought was for their mother, and smiled when Julia told her, “If you ever get tired of all this snow, come visit us at our beach house.  It never snows there.”

Ross was holding Jeremy’s hand and turned around to Demelza and Julia to make sure his wife was wearing her sunglasses.  Her eye still had a pretty good shiner on it, sporting a blackish - purple color, and the last thing he wanted was for people to get the wrong idea.  She knew what he was doing, “Yes, I have them on, darling.”  He smiled and they continued walking.

They were in the air when he reached for Demelza’s hand and brought it to his mouth for a quick kiss, “I had such a good time, other than the heart attack you gave me with your accident.  I think the kids really enjoyed Cleveland too.”  He looked over at them, both Jeremy and Julia sacked out from all the fun of their vacation.  “It wasn’t as posh as a resort in Aspen,” she told him almost apologetically, “and you didn’t get to ski or snowboard…”  “No,” he interrupted her, “but I did build snowmen and go sledding and I learned I can’t ice skate to save my life… It was better than Aspen because it felt more like family-time.”  She smiled and squeezed his hand as she went back to her tablet and he went back to his magazine.

As he was reading, he noticed his wife kept giggling.  At least it started as a giggle and became a full-blown laugh.  Pretty soon she was wiping her eyes with tears from whatever was amusing her so.  She took her sunglasses off.  “Great, Demelza…show everyone you’re crying with a black eye.”  “I can’t help it, Ross.  I’m laughing so hard!”  He was confused, “Why?  What you got there?”  “I shouldn’t even tell you, but it’s a blog where you send them a boring task, and they sex it up and say you did it.”  “Me?” he asked surprised.  She was nodding her head, “Let me read you one. This one is called ‘Poldark changes a fuse.’”  She could hardly get through the words, she kept stopping and laughing before she would resume reading again.  He sat there like a stone.  At the end he said, “Why am I eating toast shirtless?”  “Oh, Ross!  Because the crumbs are falling in your chest hair.”  He was shrugging his shoulders like, “So?”  He clearly didn’t get it.  She read him another one.  Again his reaction was priceless, “So I put red lipstick on and women got pregnant when I looked at them?”  All she could do was nod she was laughing so hard. “Just one more,” she told him, and announced, “This one is called ‘Poldark defrosts the freezer.’”  She read it, as his mouth was gaping open.  “That’s _dirty,_ Demelza!  Did it really say ‘fish finger sandwich?’  How do you find this stuff?” 

She explained, “I’m on this site with all these blogs about you.  I have a user name that keeps me anonymous.  I never contribute material, I just reblog and comment on what’s there.  No one knows that I’m actually your wife.”  “But why do this?”  “Oh, I don’t know.  Just to see what’s being said and it’s fun to read people’s reactions to your show.”

He looked at her, “I’m sorry I’m not as exciting as this Poldark to you anymore.  I’m just the man who has nose-hair clippers in the medicine cabinet now, which you’re the only person that knows about.”  She put her hand on top of his, “Ross, you know I’ve always been in love with the real you and not your characters from your shows.  I like that you share things with me that nobody else knows, like your clippers.  I love you with your nose hairs, your gray hairs that are starting to come in, your back hair…you will always be super sexy to me.”

He gave her a quick kiss but didn’t get to continue the conversation as Jeremy was now awake and tapping Demelza on the arm, “I need the bathroom, mommy.”  “Ok,” she smiled at her son and was beginning to get up.  “Demelza,” Ross put a hand out to stop her, “please let me take him.”  Even though Jeremy had long ago had his cast removed from his fall out of a tree, he still wore a black arm brace, with hinges at the elbow.  Anyone looking could tell Jeremy had had a major injury to his arm.  And Demelza was sporting a nasty black eye. “Sweetheart, you both look pretty banged up.  As soon as you both walk away from me, people are going to pass you pamphlets for abuse shelters and stop to give you advice on what steps you should take to leave me.  I’m pretty sure I look like a monster.  Haven’t you seen everyone staring since you took your glasses off?”  “Ross, I’m pretty sure they were staring because I was trying not to laugh very loud which made me laugh even louder!”  Ross scanned the plane, convinced that everyone was judging him, as Demelza looked around and saw people busy with their own lives.  “Ross, you’re over reacting.”  “Demelza, as soon as you guys leave, Julia will wake up and ask me questions about my penis, and then not only will I look like a wife and child beater, I’ll look like a perv.”  Jeremy was dancing around and holding his crotch, “Guys, I don’t care who takes me but I have to go NOWWWWWWW!”  Demelza giggled, “Jare, your daddy will take you,” and smiled at Ross while she put her sunglasses back on.

 

 

 

Demelza couldn’t catch a break.  They had been back in California just two days when she caught a nasty bug.  It started out as a sneeze at dinner, her whole family staring at her because she never got sick.  “Bless you,” Jeremy said just like his teacher did when anyone sneezed.  By later that evening, she had a cough, watery eyes, and a fever.  Ross found her in the kitchen, trying to direct her coughs away from the sandwiches she was packing for the twins’ lunches.  He came up behind her and took her by the shoulders, “No, Demelza, you’re done.”  He was leading her away from the island, “Time to go lay down and I’ll do the rest.”  “Ross, you won’t know how to…”  “Demelza, I can make a sandwich,” he reminded her.  He was still trying to lead her away as she broke from his grip and walked back to the island, “Jeremy can’t have a peanut butter sandwich or else his best friends, Larson and Lane, won’t be able to sit with him.  They have severe allergies.”  “Larson and Lane are his best friends?  Have they ever been to our house?” Ross asked her.  “Oh no!  These kids are allergic to _everything_ , including dogs, and we have an 80 pound mongrel that sheds like crazy.  There’s no way they could come over.  They even have their own epi-pens on them at all times.”  “Ok, I can make Jeremy bologna and cheese.”  She nodded.  “What about Julia?”  “Julia needs a peanut butter sandwich but you have to cut the crusts off.  She can’t have more jelly than the size of a quarter and the sandwich has to be cut diagonally.”  He was alarmed, “Demelza, you do this every night?  This is bullshit!  When I was growing up we just ate whatever was stuffed in our lunch sacks and felt lucky to have food.”  “Well,” she shrugged, “Our kids are a bit finicky and I want them to eat.”  “Well, I want you to lay down,” he said as he was gently taking her by the shoulders.  “Couch or bed?”  “Couch,” she said as he took her over, covering her with the blanket she had expertly crocheted.  “You’ll make their lunches?” she asked nervously. “Yes,” he told her making sure her feet were covered and bringing her another pillow to put under her head.  “Promise you’ll do it right?” “I promise,” and kissed her on the forehead, noting the warmth that indicated her fever.  He woke her up a few hours later and led her upstairs to bed.

The next morning she was even worse.  “I’ll take the kids to school, but I want you to call your doctor when I’m gone.”  She did, and he drove her there later that morning.  She was given a strong dose of antibiotics, and a script that Ross picked up after he had gotten her back to bed and tucked in.  He brought tissues to put by the bed and even behaved himself as he rubbed Vicks into her chest.  He went downstairs and let her sleep in peace.  

He came upstairs a few hours later to find her walking around the bedroom.  “Get back in bed, sweetheart.  What do you need?”  “I’m pouring down sweat, Ross.  I’m not sure if it’s my fever or this sweatshirt I’m wearing, but I’m soaked.  And my bra is still on from the doctor.”  He walked over to her dresser, opening her t-shirt drawer.  He took the one off the top, noticing it was a brownish gray color with a distressed collar.  The shirt looked oddly familiar and very worn. “Demelza, is this my lucky t-shirt? Where did you find it? I lost it years ago…”  “It was wedged behind your drawer, the one that would never shut all the way.”  She smiled as she continued, “I stole it from you because you know I love wearing your shirts.  This one is so old that no matter how many times I wash it, it still smells like you.”  He brought it over to her, carefully removing her sweatshirt.  He was a pro at unfastening her bra.  He did get a few squeezes of her breasts in before he put his t-shirt over her head.  “Do you need anything?”  She shook her head and went back to sleep.

That night when he came to bed, she began gathering up her pillows to leave.  “Demelza, where are you going?”  “To the couch, Ross.  The last thing you need is for me to breathe all over you and get you sick.”  “I don’t care about that,” he said as he took her arm and gently brought her back down to the bed.  He snuggled with her.  She had a strip across her nose to help her breathe.  “Don’t look at me,” she was advising him, “I’m sure I look terrible.”  Her fire-red hair was a mess on top of her head, but he thought she looked beautiful and told her so.  She relaxed and fell asleep in his arms.

The next morning she was a bit better and went downstairs to lay on the couch while Ross got the kids their breakfast and got them off to school.  She tired out easily and was back in bed when he got home.  She woke a few hours later to the smell of something delicious.  She tiptoed down the stairs, peeking her head around the kitchen door to see her husband in the middle of cooking what looked like her famous “get well” chicken soup.  He was in front of a cutting board where he was furiously chopping carrots and celery.  She didn’t want to ruin the surprise and made it back upstairs before he noticed.

Ross had never made this soup nor did he have the recipe.  He was just going by memory on all the times he had eaten it.  He took a spoon, tasting the broth, and kept adding spices and salt and pepper until it tasted anywhere close to hers.  It wasn’t quite the same, but it was good.  It was edible.  If she didn’t want to eat it, he would.  He got the bamboo tray out, carefully placing the bowl of soup and a spoon, a napkin, crackers, a lemon lime soda, and a small vase with a flower from the bouquet he had bought her the day he picked up her meds, and headed up the stairs.

Her blue eyes greeted him when he walked in with the tray.  “What’s this?”  she asked as she sat up, propping herself up on her pillows.  “I thought you’d be hungry.”  “I’m starved, Ross.  Is this my chicken soup?”  “Well…” he almost apologize, “I tried to make it be your chicken soup.”  He placed the tray on her lap as she took her first bite.  “Oh, Ross…it’s good!”  He smiled surprised, “Yeah?  You’re not just saying that?”  “I’m going to be honest, Ross.  I saw you making this in the kitchen and made up my mind I was going to tell you it was delicious no matter what it tasted like, but…this is _better_ than mine.”  “Nonsense, Demelza.”  “I can taste the love, Ross.  You’ve taken such good care of me these last few days.”  “It’s been my pleasure, darling,” and he leaned in to kiss her.  He broke their kiss, “I have another surprise for you, especially since the kids are at school.”  “Ross, I’m still not feeling well.  I don’t think now is the time…”  “No, Demelza, I have a food surprise that I’ve been hiding from the kids so they wouldn’t eat it.  It’s just for you.  You got room for dessert?”  “Ross, is this what I think it is?”  “Stay there,” he told her and went down to the kitchen where he reached into the catacombs of the freezer, where the twins couldn’t see.  He bounded up the stairs and busted in the bedroom with the small carton.  Her faced beamed, “It _is_ brown butter almond brickle ice cream, my favorite!”  He handed her the carton and a spoon, taking a seat on the bed next to her.  “Just what I need on my sore throat,” she beamed as she took her first bite.  She noticed he was looking very longingly at her treat, “Do you want some?” she asked.  “Go down and get another spoon,” she instructed him, “so we don’t pass these germs around.”  He produced a spoon that was already in his hand, “I was just waiting for an invitation.”  He took a spoonful and smiled before he turned his head to the crook of his elbow and gave a hearty sneeze...

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mundaneerotica is the tumblr blog with the hysterical stories...
> 
> Of course I had to write about the famous t-shirt
> 
> I have had an unexpected rough turn of events and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to post, let alone write for a while. I hope not to keep you all waiting too long. Please bear with me and I will try to get back as soon as I can. I have so many plans for this family. Life is really difficult right now.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross and Demelza find out if their little peanut is a boy or a girl...

Demelza was just giving the covers a last smoothing as she finished making the bed.  She reached for the pillows on the floor and she stacked them up in their usual spots.  She grabbed her cellphone, and taking a place on the bed, she folded her legs underneath her as she waited for her husband.  She heard his footsteps on the stairs before he came bounding in the room, hot mug of morning coffee in his hand.

“Are you ready?”  he asked her and took a spot on the bed across from her, folding his legs underneath him like a mirror image of how she was sitting.  She reached out for his coffee mug, “Demelza, I would’ve brought you your own but you said you didn’t…”  “I don’t want a cup of coffee, I just want…”  “to drink all of mine,” he finished her sentence for her and continued, “Is this like in the drive thru when you say you don’t want any fries but then eat all of mine?”  She grinned coyly at him while she continued to sip his coffee.  “Hang on,” he said as he was getting off the bed.  “Where are you going?” she asked almost wounded, “Aren’t we going to do this?”  He nodded, “Just give me a minute to go down and get my own coffee.”

He was back within minutes, resuming his spot on the bed with a new, steaming mug, “Ok, who gets to do this?”  She stared at her phone, the screen containing the email that once open would reveal the gender of their third child.  She looked at him, “What if we don’t open it and just be surprised?  We already have one of each…a daughter and a son, so does it really matter what this one is?”  He took a sip and thought before he said, “I want to know.  I don’t know why, but I just do.”  “But what if I don’t?” she ran past him.  “Then I won’t tell you, but I want to find out.”  She passed him her phone, “I should probably leave the room.”  “Why?”  “Because your face is going to give it away even if you don’t say anything.”  He chuckled, “What do you think I’m going to do?”  She had been married to Ross almost 9 years now, she almost knew him better than he knew himself.  She told him, “If it’s a girl, your eyes are going to get all soft and mushy looking, and if it’s a boy you’re going to have a grin from ear to ear.”  “That sounds like me,” he admitted as she brushed a black curl out of his eye.  She took her phone back from him, “Let’s not do this, Ross.”  “Demelza, I have the same email on my phone.”  He was about to get his cell out of his pocket when she stopped him, “Ok, OK!  I guess I do want to know.  Here, I’m opening the email now.”  He sipped his coffee and waited as she just stared at the screen, motionless.  She hadn’t opened anything.  She shook her head, “I can’t do it, Ross.  I just can’t do it.”  “Ok, well pass it to me.”  “And you won’t tell me, right?”  “I won’t tell you.”  “Even if I ask you to tell me, you won’t tell me, right?”  “Right.”

She sipped “her” coffee while he opened the attachment.  With his best poker face and the facial expression of a stone, he opened the email and read what it said.  He was doing something on the phone, and she saw him going to a different screen and doing something.  He passed her phone back to her and she watched him get his own phone out and do something.  “Do you know?” she asked excitedly.  “Yes,” he said with zero twinkles in his eyes.  She looked at him, trying her best to ascertain the answer.  “Ok, Ross, I changed my mind again.  Now I want you to tell me.”  “Demelza, no.  You said not to, and I know deep down that’s what you want.”  “No, I want to know now, Ross.”  He was shaking his head, “No.  Think about if this is really what you want and tonight if you still feel that way, _maybe_ I’ll tell you.”  She sat there and thought a minute, “Ross, all I have to do is read it on my phone, so I’m going to find out anyways.”  She was scrolling through her mail, “I can’t find it!  It was just here!”  “I deleted it,” he was telling her, “then I deleted it from the trash.  It’s gone for good.  Did the same on my phone.”  She was getting mad.  “Ross Vennor Poldark! I am the mother of this child and I want to know if we’re painting the nursery blue or pink.”  “Ok, I’ll give you the answer.”  She sat up and readied herself.  “We’re painting it…” and gave a sly smile, “green.”  “Ross, I’m going to smack you…” and playfully slapped his knee.  “Demelza, my coffee…”  as he held his mug away from his body.  He looked in her face and saw her genuine expression as she implored, “Please…Ross…Tell me.”

He took a breath before he said, “I was right about the sonogram.  Even at 8 weeks this baby was already as well-hung as all the Poldarks before him.”  “A boy…” she was smiling before she quickly asked, “Just one, right?”  “Yes.”  She took his hand, “So, ancient bearer of historic Poldark names, what will this child be called to carry on your family’s legacy?”  It was common for the woman to name the unborn child, however with Ross and Demelza, he had chosen each of their childrens' names, and Demelza really didn’t mind at all.  “Henry,” Ross smiled at her and brought her hand up to his lips, “just like his great uncle Henry.”  “I love it,” she beamed.  “Jeremy, Julia, and Henry Poldark.”  She was thinking a minute, “Tell me again that name you had picked out for a girl?”  “Clowance, who was my great aunt, Aunt Agatha’s aunt,” he reminded her.  “I don’t even know what you’re saying, _Clarence_?”“C-L-O-W-A-N-C-E.”  She put her hand on his knee.  “I love you with all my heart, you know that.  But I’m so glad we are having a boy so I don’t have to hurt your feelings when I tell you there’s no way we’re calling this child Clowance.”

She raised her coffee mug, “To Henry Poldark.  May he not be very fussy, may he sleep through the night…and may he have his father’s cute ass.”  Ross chuckled, “Cheers,” and they clinked mugs before taking sips.  “Now all we have to do is tell the twins,” he reminded her.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who gave me such kind words of encouragement. I'm afraid things are going to get worse before they get better. I'm hoping writing is what will get me through this.
> 
> This chapter had been completed for a while and the next chapter also, but after that... we will have to see.
> 
> Thanks again for all the kind messages and comments!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julia cannot explain her parent's behavior, and Ross and Demelza talk about telling the twins of their new brother...

Julia had given up the idea that anything was wrong with her parents.  Their trip to Cleveland had been so much fun that Julia had even forgotten her worries about them fighting or that her father would go back to the beach house.  During the vacation, her mom and dad had been laughing just as hard as their children as the four built snowmen and sledded down hills.  Even when Demelza had gotten hurt, the twins noticed how Ross stepped in and took care of everything. He was nothing but completely attentive to his wife.  Her parents were fine.  Everything was good again.

Julia remembered the weekend they had just spent at the beach house, all four of them out on the deck in the evening as Ross pointed his cellphone to the sky.  “What’s that one, daddy?” Jeremy was asking.  Ross looked at his screen, “It says its Cassiopeia.”  They all looked into the sky again.  “What’s that really bright one?” Jeremy asked again.  “It’s the dog star.  It says it’s the brightest in the sky.”  The kids went back to staring upwards and Julia heard her father saying, “You, Demelza, are the brightest star in my sky.”  She turned around for her mother’s reaction and saw she had tears in her eyes.  “Oh, Ross…” She kissed him tenderly on the lips as Julia went back to stargazing with her brother.  “Look at that one!” Jeremy was shouting.  No response from his parents.  “Daddy!” Jeremy was tugging on his father’s pant leg as Ross was still locked in a kiss with his wife.”  “Earth to mom and dad,” Julia was saying impatiently.

Julia was in the family room when she heard the front doorbell.  She stood on the couch, leaning on the back to stare out the front window when she announced to Demelza, “Mommy!  There’s a man with a whole bunch of flowers at the door!”  “What?”  Demelza shouted from the kitchen, drying her hands to quickly open the door that revealed the delivery man with the giant bouquet.  “Who could these be from?” She assumed they were from Ross, but he was a man who sent flowers on occasions: Sweetest Day, Valentine’s, their anniversary, her birthday; this was just Tuesday. They carried the flowers to the kitchen and set them on the island.   The arrangement was so giant it almost obliterated the work space on the counter.  Julia climbed on a chair to smell a bloom.  “Mommy, there’s an envelope here.”  Demelza immediately took it and opened it.  It read,  “My dearest Demelza, I love you more than I can ever find words for.  I will spend each day trying my best to be worthy of your love.  I’m so excited for the new addition to our family.  Always faithfully yours, Ross.”  “What does it say?” Julia had shouted the entire time she was trying to read.  “Oh…daddy just said that he loves me.”  

The only hiccup in how great everything was going was the sickness they all seemed to pass around, all coming down with it, but at different times.  Demelza was the first to get it, and then Ross three days later.  Jeremy got it a day after Ross, but by that time Demelza was well enough to take care of both Poldark males, bringing them soup and tissues as they laid in the big bed together and coughed and sneezed.  The family all celebrated that Julia was fine and hadn’t missed any school…until two days later.

Ross had already tucked Julia in bed when she woke up with her throat on fire.  It hurt to swallow.  She knew her mother was not home as Demelza was helping yet another friend with the endless number of pop-up restaurants being opened around LA. She went downstairs to see if Ross could comfort her.  

When Julia was standing outside of the kitchen, she heard her mother walking into the house.  “Demelza!”  Ross was saying with surprise, “I didn’t expect you for at least another hour and a half!  It’s only 10.  What happened?”  Demelza was putting her jacket on the back of the island stool, “I feel so bad for Claire.  I don’t know if she just didn’t promote well enough or if her location was bad, but nobody was there,” she told him as she rubbed her forehead from the stress, “so she sent everyone home.  I know she’s devastated.”  

Ross was walking over to the cabinets where he got his wife a wineglass and poured her a bit that she immediately began sipping. He began massaging her shoulders, “You’re really tense, sweetheart.  I’ve got a fire going.  Why don’t you bring your wine over and sit with me for a bit. I can work out your shoulders, if you want.  Maybe crocheting a bit more of Henry’s blanket would help you relax.” “Ross, that sounds wonderful. Maybe I could also get one of your famous foot rubs?”  “I think that could be arranged,” he winked and put his arm around her to lead her to the family room. 

They weren’t out of the kitchen yet when Julia shouted, “Mommy!” and ran to her mother’s arms.  Demelza handed Ross her wine as she scooped her up, immediately feeling her daughter’s forehead, and looking at Ross to announce, “Yep.  She’s burning up.”  She was smoothing Julia’s back, “You couldn’t be left out, could you, Jules?  You just had to join the germ party,” and chuckled.  Ross was already measuring the children’s syrup that was kept in the kitchen cabinets above the sink.  He was bringing the cup to Julia’s lips when she protested, “Daddy!”  He knew what that meant, “Oh, sorry, sweetie,” and then began the airplane sounds that always made his daughter giggle.  He “flew” the cup to her lips and she took hold of it herself to swallow, making a face when she was done.  “There’s my big girl,” Ross smiled as he picked her up.  “Can you go back to bed?”  Demelza asked her, “Or do you need to stay up with us for a while?”  “Bed,” Julia nodded sleepily and Ross carried her up the stairs with Demelza on their heels.   

He set her down gently as Demelza was pulling the covers over her.  Ross was tucking her in tightly, just how she liked when she said, “Who’s Henry?”  Ross looked at Demelza who answered, “Oh, somebody that I hope you will meet soon.”  That was enough for her as she smiled and closed her eyes to sleep.  When they were in the hall, Ross turned to his wife, “We need to tell them, sweetheart.  It’s time.  We already know the gender.  We agreed that we…”  “I know, I know.  Yes. Soon,” she shook her head, “I just want to be sure we’re out of the woods.” 

But they didn’t tell them, and Julia, the more perceptive of the twins, kept noticing odd things that her parents were doing.  For example, the last time they were at Target, instead of heading to the checkout, Ross and Demelza took the long way through the children’s department, much to Julia’s surprise.  “Daddy, the checkout is _there_ , where it always is.”  “Just a minute,” Ross was telling her as Demelza was picking up and holding bibs and little outfits, all for boys.  Jeremy started picking out items also, even though he didn’t know why.  Demelza kept smiling and squeezing Ross’s arm.  Julia felt the need to announce, “Guys, Uncle Dwight and Aunt Caroline had a _girl,_ baby Mel _._ ”  Her parents made zero sense.

One day when coming home from school, Demelza was pulling the mini van into the garage when Julia saw her father installing an intricate shelving system. “What’s that for?” Julia asked Ross.  “It’s for mommy’s wrapping paper,” he told her.  “But she has a wrapping paper room.  It’s right by Jeremy’s bedroom.”  Demelza said, “Maybe that room should be used for something else.”  “Like what?” Julia asked almost indignantly.  Demelza smiled, “Who knows?  But at least it will be ready when we decide.”  She no longer understood them.  “Ok,” Julia said with the sarcasm she was perfecting at a young age, “I’m not sure why you’re going to wrap gifts in a garage when you have a perfectly good room upstairs…”  A day later she saw her father, hair pulled back from his face and secured with one of Demelza’s hair ties as he was painting the walls of the former wrapping paper room in a beautiful shade of blue.  “This looks like Jeremy’s room,” she told her father.  “Does it?”

The last surprise was the next day, when the family was all waiting for Ross to get home for dinner.  Demelza was checking the stromboli that she had baking in the oven when they heard the garage door opening and a car motor as it pulled in.  But then a strange horn sounded that made everyone jump, including Demelza.  “What in the name of sam hill…” was Jeremy’s response to everything.  The three jumped up to go to the door where they saw a brand new, sleek, black Range Rover, with Ross getting out of the driver’s side door.  “Wooooooowwww!” Jeremy was saying with a dropped jaw, as he eyed the car up and down and walked around it.  The car door was still open so Demelza leaned in to get a whiff of the leather seating and new interior.  Ross sheepishly was explaining, “I had my old one so long.  I got it new when we were dating.  I just thought with the new ba…”  He stopped as Demelza shot him a look with big eyes.  “I just thought with the new _baseball_ games we might be going to…”  “We’re going to baseball games?  COOOOOOL!” Jeremy interrupted his father.  The twins ran in the house as Ross and Demelza lagged behind.  “Sweetheart, let’s tell them.  It’s starting to not feel right that we’re keeping this from them,” Ross said softly while rubbing his wife’s back.  He knew she was afraid of upsetting them if things didn’t turn out.  “Let’s tell them now. I’m here to help you.  Let’s tell them together.”  “Ok, Ross,” she agreed, and they walked into the kitchen where their children were already sitting at the island.

        

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all for the lovely words of encouragement during this time for me. It has been so greatly appreciated. :) Even though life has been rough lately, I still couldn't wait to share the new chapter with you. Hope you enjoyed it.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross and Demelza tell the twins about baby Henry and Julia has a strange reaction, prompting Ross to have a heart to heart talk with her...

Ross and Demelza stood in the kitchen facing their children who were seated at the island. He squeezed her hand and said, “Why don’t you go get it?”  The twins didn’t know that he was referring to the gender reveal box that Demelza had purchased the day before and put in the closet by the front door.  Once the lid was taken off, either pink or blue balloons and streamers would be released.  The twins’ faces both lit up when they saw their mother carrying what appeared to be a very large gift.  “Who’s that for?” Jeremy was eagerly asking.  Demelza set it down on the island in front of them, “It’s for both of you.  But first daddy has something to show you.”

Ross opened a drawer in the island and got out the sonogram that he then put in front of the children.  He kissed Demelza on the cheek before she got her phone out to film the reaction of them both.  She hit record as Ross was saying, “Guys, this is your new brother or sister.” Julia picked up the picture apprehensively as Jeremy was bouncing in his seat, a huge grin on his face, “YAY!  Finally, someone other than GHOULIA over there.”  “Shut up, GERMY!”  Ross was shaking his head and laughing that they were getting this all on video.  Nothing ever went as planned with their children.  Demelza hit pause, “Julia, we do not say ‘shut up’ in this family, and enough with the name calling from both of you!  How many times do I have to tell you it’s not nice?  Do you know how special your relationship should be?  Most mommies have one baby in their tummy.  You were both in the same tummy at the same time.  You’ve been there for each other from the beginning.  Doesn’t that mean something?”

Demelza was making her frustrations very clear to her children, so Julia tried to soothe her by saying, “We don’t mind, mommy. It’s just our special nicknames for each other, like you and daddy have special things you call each other.”  “Yeah,” Jeremy continued, “That’s what we told our teacher when she got mad at us too.”

Demelza looked at Ross, “We have special names for each other?” unable to imagine, or afraid to imagine what these might be.  “Yeah…you do,” Jeremy nodded,  “Julia told the teacher what they were.”  “Oh, god,” Demelza was looking to Ross in panic, slightly annoyed that her husband was throwing his head back, giving his signature guffaw at the news.  “What did you say our names were?” she asked her daughter who said, “‘Sweet Cheeks’ is what you always call daddy before you hang up. You say ‘See you later, Sweet Cheeks.’” Demelza was grimacing and Ross couldn’t have laughed any louder at the thought of the teacher being told this.  Jeremy continued, “And daddy always calls you ‘Cupcakes.’”  “I do love mommy’s cupcakes,” Ross was admitting, knowing full well his children had no idea he was not referring to his wife’s baked goods.  Demelza was shaking her head over and over as Ross was trying and failing miserably to stifle any further laughter.  He whispered in Demelza’s ear, “Thank god they’ve never heard all the times I’ve called you ‘Tits McGhee.’”  Demelza elbowed him in the ribs.

“So….” Jeremy interrupted everyone, “Is it a sister or brother or twins again like me and Julia?”  That was Demelza’s cue to push record again on her phone as Ross explained, “That’s what the box is for.  One of you needs to take the lid off.  Then balloons are going to fly up to the ceiling.  Pink means a sister and blue means a brother.”  “Can I be the one to open it?” Julia asked her brother.  Jeremy nodded while Demelza continued to film.  Julia pulled the box closer to her and put her hands on the lid, stopping to say, “I hope it’s a boy. I DO NOT want a sister.”  Ross again was laughing that they were capturing all of this on video.  She slowly opened the box and everyone watched as the balloons, streamers, and confetti flew out, all in a gorgeous baby blue color.  Jeremy immediately began cheering as Julia held her heart, trying to catch her breath as if she had suffered a heart attack.  “Oh, thank goodness it’s a brother,” she said in relief. 

Demelza gave up filming as Ross chuckled, “Still going to post this on social media?” as Demelza giggled, “At least I wasn’t putting it on there live.”  Ross turned to his daughter, “I thought you’d want a sister, Julia.  Someone to play tea party with, a manicure buddy, and someone to go to American Girl with.  Wouldn’t that be fun?”  Julia was violently shaking her head no with wide eyes.  Neither Demelza nor Ross could get her to tell them why.

Julia had figured out a long time ago that she was Ross’s favorite child.  She was his little princess.  She wasn’t about to share that with anyone.  The problem is, Jeremy was also convinced that he was Ross’s favorite child.  Ross was different with Jeremy.  They threw footballs and kicked soccer balls in the back yard for hours until Demelza reminded them it was dark and time for bed.  Ross would put shaving cream on Jeremy’s face so he could “shave” alongside his dad in the bathroom mirror.  The two men walked around shirtless flexing their muscles and bearing their teeth at each other. Ross taught Jeremy how to burp the alphabet, instructing him never to do this in front of Demelza or Julia.  They sang songs like, “Beans, beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat the more you toot,” and fell into hysterics if either one of them farted, again with strict instructions to never do this in front of the women. Ross was the one who had potty-trained him, tossing cheerios into the toilet for Jeremy to aim at and sink into the water.  Demelza had walked by and smiled before she said, “Perhaps daddy also could benefit from a refresher course on aiming…” “Demelza!”  Ross answered with a wounded voice. 

But Ross also made Jeremy open the car door for Julia and would tell him, “Ladies first, Jare.” One time at the market, they saw a woman struggling to open the door with her bags, dropping items on the floor.  Ross said, “Jeremy, please go over and pick those things up.  That lady needs help.  Why don’t you also open the door for her?”  Julia stood with Ross as they watched the lady say, “Why, thank you, young man!”  Ross patted Jeremy on the head when he returned, “Good job, son.”

It was different with Julia.  If Jeremy, or worse, Ross, “broke wind” in front of Julia, (Ross wouldn’t even say “fart” in front of his daughter), he would immediately remark, “Say excuse me to your sister,” or “I’m so sorry, darling.  I didn’t mean to do that in front of you.”  When Jeremy would get hurt and cry, Ross would comfort him and say, “Ok, Jeremy, you’re ok.  You’ll feel better in a minute.”  But with Julia he would say, “I know, sweetie.  Let it all out,” as he let her sob on his shoulder as long as she wanted.  Julia saw Ross’s eyes completely soften when he looked at her.  That had to mean she was his favorite.  

The twins had no idea who Demelza’s favorite was.  They knew she went out of her way to be equal and fair.  When eating M&M’s, she made sure each child had the same number of red ones, dividing up the packet equally, so neither could complain about the lack of their favorite colored candy.  If she spent too much time with one child, she immediately planned an outing with the other.  But, Jeremy and Julia also knew that Demelza actually had three children, and her favorite, by just a hair, and a glorious head of curls it was, was Ross.  Julia couldn’t believe all the rules she let him break.  The twins could never squirt each other with the kitchen sprayer but that’s was Ross did all the time to her, making her squeal and hit him on the butt with a kitchen towel.  He was constantly chasing her around the house, and Demelza was the one who always said, “No running inside, guys.”  They weren’t allowed to play with their food, but several times Ross had made her laugh so hard, that iced coffee, or whatever she was drinking at the time, shot out her nose.  Every time Ross picked Julia up, he would groan and say, “Good lord, Julia!  You’re getting so big and heavy.  I can hardly lift you.”  But one night, after Julia had gone to bed, she saw Ross had picked up a shrieking Demelza as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He kissed her on the neck as he carried her up a flight of stairs.  A flight of stairs!  He carried her to their bedroom where the door was shut and she heard her mother giggling, “Ross!” 

Julia’s thoughts were interrupted by Demelza telling her and Jeremy that their brother was going to be named Henry and Julia immediately recognized that her mother had said she was crocheting a blanket for someone with that same name.  It was all falling into place in her head.  “Is that why we were in the baby section at Target?” she asked her parents who were both nodding their heads yes.  It was all making sense.  The family then had their dinner and went about their usual routine before the twins were put to bed.

 

 

That evening, Ross was walking past the children’s rooms on his way to his bedroom.  Jeremy was sound asleep as usual, and on first inspection, Julia was too, for a change.  It wasn’t until Ross was almost down the hallway that he heard the sniffle.  “Julia?” he looked back into the room, “everything ok in here?”  He saw her nodding her head as her face was completely covered with her blanket.  He knew something was wrong.  Ross came in and sat at the edge of her bed.  “Hey, come here,” he said as he took her by the shoulder and gently rolled her on her back so he could see her face.  He expected to see tears, but was shocked when he saw the red eyes, red nose, and cheeks completely drenched from crying.  “Sweetheart!  What’s making you so upset?  Are you sick?”  She shook her head no.  “Do you need me to get mommy?”  Another no.  “Is there something I can do to fix this?”  He was surprised to see she nodded her head yes.  “Well, tell me, please, Julia.  Anything! I’ll do it right now.  You know it breaks my heart to see you sad.”  

She sat up and wiped her eyes before she said, “I don’t want baby Henry to come live with us.  Let’s get a puppy instead.  Can you tell the mommy that has him in her tummy that we changed our minds and she can keep him?”  Ross was not expecting this.  “Why sweetheart? I thought you wanted a sister or brother.”  “Daddy, you said you’d do whatever it was and I told you…”  “Julia, maybe I should have heard what it was first.” He was smoothing her arm, “We can’t stop Henry from coming, darling.  It doesn’t work like that.  It’s a done deal.  Baby Henry is ours.  He has mommy and my ingredients, and he’s probably going to look just like you and Jeremy.” He looked at her for her reaction but she still seemed just as sad.  “Baby Henry is a Poldark, Julia.  Wouldn’t it make you sad if he couldn’t be here with the rest of his family who is just like him?  He’d feel lost and alone without us.”  “Not if nobody told him that lady wasn’t his mommy.  He’d be fine.  And everyone likes puppies.”  “Jules, sweetie, what’s really going on here?”

He reached for a kleenex as she sat up.  He tenderly put a hand on the back of her head as the other held the tissue in front of her nose.  He softly said, “Blow.”  She did and he wiped her nose, waiting for her to say something.  When she did, she said, “You and mommy are going to forget about me and Jeremy.”  “Oh, sweetheart, never! Why would you think that?  Because of Henry?”  She nodded, “You guys are going to be busy with him.” He smoothed her hair and said, “Sweetheart, there’s two of us and just one of him.  While mommy is feeding him, I can take you to dance or play tea party with you or kick soccer balls with Jeremy.  When I’m home with him, mommy can get pedicures with you, or take you and Jeremy to Chuck E. Cheeses.  In fact, all five of us will be able to do a lot of things together.” He was brushing a stray curl out of her eye, a curl that had once been as black as his own hair but had taken on the auburn color of Demelza’s more and more each day, “Henry is not going to take anything away from this family, darling.  He will add so much.  Think about introducing him to the sand at the beach house.  He will be another voice to sing with us in the car.  We get to show him how yummy mommy’s red velvet cake is, once he can eat real food.  He will be another wearer of Christmas pajamas.”

Julia was softening up, so he kept going, “The strange thing about babies, you think you know how you feel about them until you actually meet them.  For example, I knew that I loved you and Jeremy with all my heart before you were born, but when they put both of you in my arms that first time, I realized I loved you both way more than I originally thought.  You might not want him to come live with us now, but I guarantee when you see him, you will want him to.”   He had sat next to her in the bed as she snuggled up to him.  He kissed the top of her head, “You will always have a extra special place in my heart, Julia, because you’ll always be my little girl, my first daughter.  Born 6 minutes before your brother.  Nobody can take that away from you.”  He was holding her hand as he said, “I probably shouldn’t tell you this because I’m sure you will tell Jeremy, but I kissed you first.  When they put you both in my arms, your brother was just sleeping and being quiet.  You had your eyes open like you were already trying to see everything and figure things out.  So I leaned down and kissed you first.” She smiled at him, so he continued, “No matter how many children your mommy and me have, you will always be the first.”  “There’s more than just baby Henry?”  Julia asked with alarm.  “Well, no… maybe down the road, Jules.  Your mommy and I really haven’t discussed it, but I always saw myself having four kids.”

Ross asked her, “Feeling better now?”  She nodded.  “Will you give me a hug?” he inquired as he held his arms out.  She leaned forward and he held her against his chest for a long time as he smoothed circles on her back.  He heard her saying, “I don’t want a sister because I don’t want to share being your little princess.”  Ross again wasn’t expecting her to say this and fought back tears as he asked her, “Do you hear my heart, sweetie?  Do you hear how strong it sounds?  It’s because it’s so big and has enough room for you, Jeremy, Henry, and mommy, and whoever else may be in our family, Ok?”  She pulled back and asked him, “Especially mommy, right?”  He nodded, “I love her very much.  And you, Julia, you look like her more and more everyday.” He was just about to get up and leave when she said, “Daddy?”  “Yes, sweetheart?”  “Will you tell me a story so I can go to sleep?”  He smiled, “Of course I can.  Which one do you want?”  She didn’t hesitate in saying, “Tell me about the day you met mommy.” 

Ross smiled as this had become his daughter’s favorite story, and he had just told it to her the night before.  “Well,” he started in, “she was walking up to me in the market, and all I could hear was my heart beating out of control.  It sounded like a large drum.”  “Why?”  she asked.  “I think I was scared…” “Of what?” she interrupted.  “Oh, mostly that she wouldn’t like me and would walk away from me forever.”  “You wanted to have babies with her and bring her back to this house to live?”  “Well, down the road I hoped that would happen.” “You were living here all by yourself?”  “I was, Julia.  The house was so empty.”  She looked up at him, “You didn’t have any one to dance with in the kitchen?”  Ross chuckled, “Do mommy and me dance a lot there?  Ha, no I didn’t have anyone to dance with.  This room we’re in right now was piled with boxes and I had guitars hanging on the wall,” he laughed.  “I had a bicycle in Jeremy’s room and a pinball machine.  Julia giggled, “But now you have us and mommy.”  “I’m the luckiest man in the world, Julia,” Ross told his daughter.  Julia asked, “Where did you ask her to marry you?”  Ross had just told his daughter about this the night before. “In the back yard, Julia.  She was sitting on that stone bench that you and Jeremy like to jump off of when you’re playing pirates.”  “And you were on one knee?”  “I was.”  “And she gave you a hug?”  “She did.  And she cried a little bit, but then she said yes,” Ross said as he replayed the scene in his own head.  “And then you gave her puppy Garrick?”  “Yep, Julia. You know this story really well.”  He got up and stood next to her bed as he kissed the top of her head and pulled the covers up.  “Get some sleep now, sweetie,”  and he padded down the hall to Demelza, getting in bed to lay beside her.

“What took you so long?” she asked him, “Is everything ok?”  Ross was trying to choose his words carefully as he was still a bit moved.  “Yes.”  They were silent, “Demelza?”  “Hmmmmm?”  “I found out why Julia doesn’t want a sister…”  “Yeah, what was that?” She asked him, still not sure why.  “Because,” he was wiping his eyes a bit, “she doesn’t want to share being daddy’s princess.”  “Awww, Ross,”  Demelza was curling up to him to lay her head on his shoulder, “She’s daddy’s little girl.  She loves you.” She kissed him on the cheek, “You know you are a great father.  Even if you doubted it, here’s all the proof you need.”  Ross smiled and blushed a little.  “Do you know who else loves you?” she asked him,  “Me…”  He turned so they were face to face as they laid across from each other.  “Well, I love you more,” and he looked into her eyes and stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers.  She leaned in and tenderly kissed him.  They laid in the quiet, and in true Ross style, he couldn’t ever let a moment be too serious.  “Demelza?”  he asked again, “Hmmmmm?”  “Can I frost your cupcakes?”  She exploded in laughter, immediately worrying she might wake up the kids.  “Ross!  That was a pretty dirty thing to say!”  He looked at her, “You didn’t answer the question.  Can I?”  She saw the look in his eyes as she reached for the light and said, “Yes.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who have reached out to me and for the continued kind words and support. This is it, this is all I have. For the first time, I don't have anything else pre-written and waiting in the wings. I hope to be back soon.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helping a friend in trouble prompts Ross and Demelza to have conversations about their own marriage...

It was an early Saturday morning as Ross and Demelza laid asleep in their bed.  When Demelza first started sharing a bed with her husband, she had to get used to how hands on Ross was when he was sleeping.  At first she felt her movements were restricted because Ross always slept with an arm slung around her waist, as he drew her near and spooned her, even sometimes laying on her same pillow.  She had been kept awake by his warm breath on her neck as he slept behind her, but then it got to the point where she couldn’t sleep without him.  Sometimes Ross would even talk in his sleep, nonsense words that would wake her up until she got used to it.  “The stamp…” he would mumble almost incoherently, “I need the stamp… dollar ninety nine…”  “Ross…” is all she would say soothingly as he rolled onto his back, placing his foot on hers, or as she would call, “holding feet.”  Sometimes she would fall asleep on his chest as his arm rested on her back, only to be awakened by a kiss on her forehead as he gently said, “Sweetheart, my arm is asleep.” Her absolute favorite was when they would face opposite directions, but he would back up, putting his warm bum against hers, cheek to cheek, as they slept.  That’s the way they were sleeping this morning as the twins barreled into their room and onto their bed.

The children began jumping and shrieking around their still sleeping parents.  Ross didn’t even move or open his eyes as he said, “Demelza?  Is it my imagination or is our bed shaking?  Do you feel something?  Is it an earthquake, you think?”  That made the twins laugh hysterically as they continued to bounce on the mattress.  Demelza, also not stirring, was offering, “Maybe it’s intruders.  Did you lock the door before we went to bed?”  “Maybe I didn’t,”  Ross joked as the jumping and giggling at the foot of their bed continued, “Hopefully said intruders don’t wake up our children, Demelza, who I’m sure are sound asleep in their beds BECAUSE IT’S SO EARLY…”Jeremy and Julia were giggling and laughing as they shouted, “It’s diner day!  It’s diner day!”

Demelza was very devoted to the health of her family.  Everything she fed them was organic, grass-fed, cage-free, free-trade; but once a week, on Saturday morning, they enjoyed a new tradition and the greatest contradiction to her rules by piling into their vehicle and sitting at the table of a greasy-spoon diner named Mimi’s, owned by a culinary friend, where they all enjoyed a hearty breakfast as they talked about their week and made plans for the upcoming one. 

“Get up, guys!” Jeremy exclaimed as he landed on his father like a true wrestler and Ross took his son’s elbow to his chest.  “Oof!  Demelza, these intruders are becoming rowdy.”  Demelza was sitting up in bed now, rubbing her eyes and checking her cellphone, “It’s 6 am, you guys…why so early?”  She glanced over at Ross who was still curled up in the covers, eyes closed tight.  “You said the diner opens at 7, mommy,” Julia was telling her, “by the time we get dressed and…” “wake up your father,” Demelza interrupted.  “Look at him, you two.  It doesn’t look like he’s ready to go anywhere.”  “Daddy!”  Jeremy was shouting into Ross’s ear while leaning on his chest.  “What time is it?  Is it Tuesday?”  Ross was asking, pretending to be disoriented, “Where am I?”  “Daddy,” Julia coaxed, “It’s time for eggs and bacon…”  “and home fries…” Jeremy continued.

They pushed a reluctant Ross out of bed and soon everyone was dressed and sitting in the Range Rover.  They got their usual table and ordered their usual food.  Even the waitress greeted them, “Hello, Poldarks!”  The diner was a place where Jeremy could dip his bacon in his grape jelly,  Ross could put the corners of his wheat toast into his over-medium eggs, the waitress would keep Demelza’s coffee cup warm with refill after refill, and Julia could hold her pancakes in her hands, no syrup, as she nibbled them like a rabbit. Ross always ordered two helpings of home fries with his breakfast, passing portions to his family, so they would leave his extra-crispy ones with onions alone.

Julia was standing by Ross’s chair as Demelza was loading leftovers into take-home boxes. “Can I sit on your lap, Daddy?  I ate too much.”  Ross picked her up, cradling her in his arms, “Sweetheart, perhaps that last pancake was not a good idea.  You should’ve taken it home with the other leftovers.”  Julia nodded as she leaned her head on his chest.  She looked at Demelza, “Will we still be able to come here once Henry is born?”  “Of course, Julia,”  she assured her daughter.  “Maybe not when he’s super little but…”  Ross was scanning the room, “Look over there, Julia.  See the baby in the highchair with that family? That will be us.”  “She peeled back and nodded. They paid their bill and were almost to the car when Demelza came back in for the boxes of food she had forgotten on the table.

The family then went to Target to walk off their breakfast.  Everyone, including the twins was involved in picking out things for Henry.  “Look at this bib, mommy,” Jeremy was saying as he waved the item in the air.  “Cute!” Demelza smiled, “Put it in the cart.”  “I think HP needs this toy, mommy,” Julia offered, using her new nickname for Henry Poldark.  “I think he does too, Julia.  Toss it in.”  Both Ross and Demelza were so relieved that the twins were finally getting very excited about their brother’s arrival, which was still 4 months away.

 

Later that evening, Ross and Dwight were down in the basement, also known as Ross’s Man Cave, as they watched the big game in the room that Ross had turned into his own sports bar.  He had a fridge full of cold beer that the men sipped while cheering at the ginormous large screen TV.  It was late when the two men came up the stairs, Ross telling his friend, “Say hello to Caroline and the girls.”   Ross expected to see Demelza in the family room on her IPAD or even in bed already, but was surprised when he saw her at the stove, furiously cooking what appeared to be several pots of soup.  Upon further inspection, he saw she was crying.  “Darling, what’s going on?  Please tell me you’re just chopping onions and not crying.”  Demelza spun around and he saw her tear stained face, “Ross, it’s my friend Lindsay.  Her husband Mark just blindsided her with a divorce.  She’s sleeping on her mom’s sofa.”  “What?” Ross asked, not sure he had heard her correctly, “Lindsay, the chef at the twins’ Kindergarten?  Your culinary friend you used to cater with?”  She was nodding as she passed him her phone from the counter to let him see the text her friend just sent her.”  “Oh my god, Demelza,” he said while reading, “How horrible.  What can we do?”  “Well, I’m making her all this soup so she has meals. I’m pretty sure Mark drained out their checking account, leaving her without a cent.”  Ross was getting out his wallet, ruffling through bills, “Here, why don’t you take this to her when you give her the soup,” as he laid down several big bills on the island.  Demelza nodded, “Thank you, Ross.”  He stood and thought a minute, “You know, sweetheart, we’re not going to use the nursery for a few months.  She’s welcome to stay there until we need it.  We still have that air mattress in the garage from the ONE time we went camping.”  Demelza stopped crying to laugh a bit, “Yeah, I’m way too high-maintenance for tents and the great outdoors.”  Ross chuckled at the memory.

He came up behind his wife and put his arms around her waist as she stood at the stove.  “We’ll do whatever we can for her, Demelza.  Let me know what I can do.  You want me to go over there and rough Mark up a bit?  Help her get her stuff out?”  Demelza turned around to face him, wiping her eyes and giggling.  “You?” she asked surprised.  “I was scrappy in my youth, Demelza.  Knew the streets of Ireland well.”  She smiled and put her hand on his cheek.  “Let me ladle up this soup and gather the money.  Will you stay home with the kids while I drive this over?”  “Of course I will, sweetheart.  And don’t hurry home.  Stay and talk with her as long as you want.  Get the full story.”  Ross went upstairs to be with the twins, while Demelza finished up in the kitchen.

It was almost 1 in the morning when Demelza climbed in bed.  Ross immediately woke up. “How is she?”  he asked as he snuggled her to him.  “It’s even worse than I thought, Ross.  He hasn’t even told her why.  He’s taken down all her decorations from the walls and even hung a picture of himself in the kitchen. He started smoking for the first time ever, and bought a new truck after leaving her without any money.”  “What in the world, Demelza!” Ross said shaking his head in disbelief at the news.  “And she had no indication that any of this was about to happen?”  “No,” she told him.  “Well, she said that he started withholding sex from her.  In fact, he told her that she was gross down there and smelled bad,” Demelza told him as she pointed to her own crotch.  “He said he was turned off by her.”  “Isn’t that pretty much what your boyfriend told you?” Ross remembered as he noticed she was nodding her head yes.  “Where do you find these men?  I can’t believe they really exist.”  “Well…they do,” she told him as she flipped on her side and got comfortable.  Ross also turned over and his bum, like a magnet and out of habit, pressed against hers, needing that comfort and closeness before he could fall asleep.

They laid there for a minute when he heard her quietly start to cry again.  He flipped back to throw an arm around her, “What’s wrong, darling?” She didn’t answer him.  “Are you personalizing this?” he inquired.  “Do you think this could be me?”  She turned around and Ross searched her eyes before he said, “You know I would never leave you, Demelza.  Ever.  Not in a million years.”  He was stroking her auburn curls.  “You’re my entire world.  I love you with all my heart.”  He kissed her while his hand was still on her face.  He broke their kiss to say, “But it’s not even just that I love you.  You’re my best friend, darling, and the voice in my head.  I don’t know how to be me anymore without you.”  She reached across and smoothed his upper arm, her fingers dipping under the sleeve of his t-shirt around his firm muscle, “I feel the same way, Ross.  You’re the only man I’ve ever been able to count on to be there for me when I needed you.  Even when I sent you to the beach house, you came right away to help me with Jeremy when he broke his arm. I’ve never felt like I’ve had to face anything by myself, and I pretty much always felt alone before I met you.”  “We’re a team, Demelza,” he told her as he brought her to him, holding her so tightly.  She was almost ready to tell him she couldn’t breathe but instead told him, “Tighter.”  “Sweetheart, I love you so much,” he told her. 

He was pressing himself against her when she felt him against her leg. “Ross…The Captain.”  “Ignore him, darling.  He’s so rude.  He shows up at the worst times.  I’m trying to make you understand my undying love for you.”  She looked at him with dark eyes, “Maybe he shouldn’t be ignored…” Ross tried to read her expression, seeing if she really meant what she said when she leaned in to kiss him.  She put her hand on his stubbly cheek and kissed him tenderly on the mouth.  He rolled her over on her back as he hovered above her, sliding his hand up her warm thigh and under the hem of her night gown. She ran her hands under his t-shirt and up his muscular back.  He was nibbling her neck as he told her, “Why would I ever withhold sex from you?”  Her hands were drawing his shirt over his head, and he quickly removed her nightie.  He was immediately at her breasts as he worked them with the expertise of his mouth and tongue.  He felt her fingers in his hair as she arched her back and he stopped long enough to say, “I could never be turned off by you.”

He was kissing a line down to her belly button where he lingered, encircling it as he held her hips with his hands.  She could feel him going lower as he was bending her knees up, parting her womanhood with his fingers as he blew his breath onto her secret places.  He kissed her there, “Darling, your scent is absolutely intoxicating.  Why don’t you let me do this more often?  Is it because you don’t like it?”  He stopped what he was doing to look up at her.  “No, Ross, it’s because it’s so good I can’t keep quiet and our children are always just down the hall.”  He resumed what he was doing with his mouth, “Well, grab a pillow, Demelza, because this is happening.”

He was lifting her hips as his tongue, mouth, and nose were sending her into orbit.  “Ross…” she panted as she fisted the bedsheet and reached for her pillow.  Ross knew how to give her several little moments of bliss before the big one that would finally make her plummet.  Her body had already begun to respond as he sampled her offering.  “Not gross at all, sweetheart.  You are so delicious.”  He kept going as her second small wave washed over her.  Ross was beside himself with desire, “I am not one of these stupid men, Demelza.”  She felt his tongue going in and out of all the places she needed him to be.  He felt her spasms as her legs began shaking around him.  He reached a hand up to also work her breast as he saw her grabbing the pillow.  He knew he had brought her to her edge.  She did her best to stifle her cries as he continued to receive everything she was sharing with him.

She felt him leaving the bed to stand up and remove his pants.  “Can I?” he asked her as she uncovered her face and nodded.  She looked at him while he stood, her eyes traveling down to see how painfully ready he was.  His arms were then under her knees as he leaned on either side of her, bringing her legs with him, lifting her pelvis as he plunged into her core.  They both immediately felt the electricity of their connection.  “Demelza, you’re so extra warm and slick after you peak.”  She reached up as she smoothed both hands across his thick patch of black, curly chest hair.  She saw his face above her as he frantically moved in and out, telling her, “I’m afraid this is going to be quick.  I was almost there just from tasting you.” Moments later, he collapsed onto her as he moaned into her shoulder, releasing himself deep inside her.  He withdrew and rolled over bringing her to his chest as he caught his breath.  “You’re so beautiful, Demelza. Every time is so beautiful.”  She was ruffling a hand through his chest and stomach hair as he said, “Please tell me you don’t doubt my affections.”  She whispered, “I don’t, Ross,” and he was able to stretch his arm down to reach the blankets, covering them both and kissing her forehead before they both fell asleep. He whispered to her, “So you are not to be rid of me, my love,” but she was already asleep.

Ross woke up around 6 am to see his wife laying on her back and holding her phone in front of her.  “Everything ok?”  he asked.  “Lindsay just texted me.  She’s taking this very hard.”  “Of course she is,” he agreed, “We just need to be there for her.”  “I don’t know what Mark is thinking!” Demelza practically shouted with anger.  “It doesn’t sound like he is at all,” he admitted as he rolled towards her, entwining his legs with hers.  She put the phone down as she stared up at the ceiling.  He looked at her, “He really hung a picture of himself in the kitchen?”  “Wait til you see it,” and she reached for her phone again, scrolling through the pics until she found it and passed it to him.  “What the hell…” and he shook his head before passing it back to her.  “I don’t even know what picture of me I could stomach looking at every day.  Plus, hanging in the room where I eat.”  She was putting the phone down again, “I think you should hang a picture of you from your vampire days.  You were so beautiful in that show, and your hair was spectacular.”  He grimaced, “Even with the fingerless gloves?”  “Even with the fingerless gloves.”  He thought a minute, “What about that movie I did in New Zealand?  Was I cute in that role?”  “You were _adorable_ ” she smiled at him.

All of a sudden she said, “Ross, I just thought of the _perfect_ picture you should hang up in your kitchen!”  She looked at him like he was supposed to know.  He shrugged his shoulders, unable to guess the one she was thinking of.  “The SCYTHING picture!”  “Oh, god!  Demelza! Seriously?”  He was grimacing, “You had to go there?”  He looked over at her, and just seeing how hard she was laughing made him start too.  Soon they were wiping tears and struggling to breathe.  Demelza was saying, “You’d never have to use your microwave, stove, or oven:  your food would just see your picture and instantly be cooked and hot.”  “Demelza!  Come on!”  but he was coughing from laughing so hard.  “You’d never be able to get cold water out of the kitchen faucet.  It would always be scalding!”  “For the love of god, Demelza!” but then he joined in, “Even the ice cream in my freezer would melt!  My tea kettle would be constantly boiling!”  Demelza was bringing the covers up to her face to silence her laughter when they heard a knock on the door.  Two small voices were saying, “What’s going on in there?”

Ross glanced at his wife, seeing if her nightgown was back on and if she was decent.  He gave her the thumbs up that his pajamas were back on before he said, “Come in, guys!”  The twins bounded into the room and on their bed, instantly taking their spots under the covers and between their parents.  “Sorry we woke you,” Demelza was telling them as she smoothed Jeremy’s head who was laying beside her.  “Were we laughing too loud?”  They both nodded.  Ross turned on his side to face his children, “Do you know what we should do?  We should all tell mommy something she does that we really appreciate.  Here, I’ll go first.”  She shot him a look, making sure he didn’t say something the children didn’t need to hear.  He returned a look to her that said, “Relax.  I got this.”  He told his children, “No matter how late I work on set, mommy always sleeps on the couch and waits for me, waking up the moment I get home to ask me about my day, even though I know she’s really tired.”  Jeremy looked at his dad and then at Demelza, “Well, I like how when I’m sick and laying down, if I ask her to, she always holds my foot to make me feel better.”  Demelza smiled as she knew that was Jeremy’s special request when he didn’t feel good.  Julia was not one to be outdone.  “I like when mommy goes through my closet to show me there’s no monsters and then she sits on my bed to sing my that song so I can go to sleep.”  Ross smiled, “I like it when mommy sings too.”  He looked at the twins, “Would you like daddy to hang a picture of himself in the kitchen?  Would you like to look at that every day?”  The twins were giggling. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” They both shouted in unison.  “Me either,” Ross chuckled.  “See, Demelza, everything here in this family is fine.”  She leaned over two six year olds and kissed him on the cheek.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really cathartic for me to write. If you read between the lines, I'm sure you will be able to understand a lot of things that I haven't come out and said directly. I will rebuild. I will be ok. I thank you all for your encouragement and kind words. Some of you have even PMed me and all of this has been so appreciated. :) My posting will probably continue to be sporadic, so please bear with me. There's so much more planned for this family!


	17. Valentine's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross plans a special Valentine's Day for Demelza... because we all wish Ross was our Valentine.

Ross stood next to his Range Rover, waiting for his children to be released from kindergarten.  He waved when he saw them running over to him.  “Hi guys!” He lifted each one into their carseats and secured them for the ride home.  It felt like any other day, but it wasn’t.  It was Valentine’s Day.  “How was school?”  he asked them as he was driving down the street.  “Fine,” they both said absentmindedly as they were already busy tuning him out, Jeremy playing a game on the IPAD they kept in the car, and Julia reading whatever book she had brought home from school this time.  Ross looked in the rearview and smiled at how big his kids were getting, reminding himself there was a brand new baby on it’s way in just a matter of months.  He focused back on the road when he saw a dog dart out in front of the car.

“SHIT!” he exclaimed as he threw his brakes on, just nearly missing the scared and confused canine who quickly ran to safety.  The twins, not having seen what happened, were more concerned with their father’s choice of vocabulary.  “Mommy will be mad,” Jeremy scolded his father.  Ross, heart still pounding from the near fatality, was nodding, “I know, I’ll put a dollar, instead of a quarter, into the swear jar when we get home.”  He looked in his mirror again, and saw the floor of the car in front of Jeremy and Julia’s feet covered with something.  “What’s all that?” he asked them.  Jeremy looked down, “Looks like my backpack wasn’t zipped.  Everything slid out when you put the brakes on.”  Ross was at a red light and turned around to get a better look.  “But why are there so many envelopes?”  Julia answered, “Those are Jeremy’s valentines.  He got more than anyone in our class.  Mostly from girls.  He even got one from a girl in _first grade_!  Mrs. Morgerstern said in her 11 years of teaching, she’s never seen anyone get so many valentines.”  Ross was chuckling, “How do you feel about that, Jare?”  Jeremy stopped playing his game to shrug his shoulders, “It’s whatever.  I don’t really get it.”  Ross laughed to himself, not sure he was going to tell his wife how popular their son was becoming with the girls.  “Did you get a lot of valentines too, sweetheart?” he asked his daughter, hoping she wasn’t left out.  “A few.  Mostly from my friends in class.”  “And from her _boyfriend,_ ” Jeremy was quick to add.  Ross looked up nervously, “Who would that be?”  “Keegan. Duh!” Jeremy informed him.  Julia continued to read her book, neither confirming nor denying the information.

Two hours later, his children had left with Lindsay to return to the school for an overnight lock-in.  Ross couldn’t believe Demelza had said yes to this, but a note from Mrs. Morgerstern informing parents of the fun activities planned and the safety measures in place had been the deciding factor.  Ross made sure they had their sleeping bags and their overnight backpacks as he kissed each of them goodbye before loading them into Lindsay’s car, who would also be attending the lock-in.  He took one last look at the kitchen, surveying everything, before he got in his own car to pick up his wife.

Demelza had been working with yet another culinary friend at a restaurant that was only open for lunch.  He remembered her telling him how much more stressful a lunch service was than a dinner one.  “Why is everyone so grumpy in the afternoon?”  she asked him.  “You’d think in the evening, at the end of the day, everyone would be tired and cranky, but no!  The worst comes out of everyone at lunch.”  He saw her standing by the door when he pulled up.  He noticed that she looked frazzled, but her face broke out in a huge smile when she saw him.  She was getting in the car when he asked, “How’d it go?”  “Don’t even get me started!” she warned him as she was buckling her seatbelt.  “It was my job to sear the salmon for a special nicoise salad.  One lady sent it back so many times, complaining it was overdone, that I literally gave her salmon tartare!”  She looked over at him, “That means raw salmon.”  He smiled, “I know.”  He reached down into the center console, finding the small envelope, and gave it to her.  She looked at him, “What’s this?” He didn’t say anything, so she opened it, revealing the small card just like the ones her children got in class.  “Will you be my valentine?” he asked her, trying his best to sound unsure of how she might answer.  “Of course I will,” she smiled and put a hand on his knee that soon was traveling up his thigh, higher and higher.  “WOO!  I don’t believe that was part of the deal!” he joked with her, who quickly gave him a playful smack on his leg.

When they got home, she was instantly struck by the wonderful aromas in the kitchen.  “Mmmmm.  It smells wonderful in here.  What’s going on?”  Ross walked over to the table that was already set for two, and lit the candles in the center, “I made you a special meal, all by myself.”  “The Irish Stew you made for me when we were dating?”  she asked inquisitively.  “No, beef bourguignone.”  “All by yourself?”  “Ok, I might have had Lindsay help me a bit, but…”  She smiled as he told her, “Sit.  I’ll start dishing everything out.”  Before he did, he poured her and himself some red wine into the stemmed glasses that were already on the table.  “It smells amazing,”  she told him as she got up and followed him anyways.  “I hope so,” he said, sounding a bit more nervous than he wanted to.

Demelza leaned against the island with her wine while Ross was at the stove.  She turned and saw a pile of envelopes behind her.  “What’s all this?” she asked him.  Ross turned from the stove with the most amused look on his face, “It’s your son’s valentines.”  “All of these?”  He nodded with raised eyebrows.  “He’s got your good looks, Ross.  He’s going to be irresistible to the ladies,” she told him. “Well, I’ve said it a million times, Demelza, I was a very late bloomer.  This was not how my childhood was at all.”  She set her wine down to put her arms around him and kiss him on the cheek, “Well, I bet if I knew you then, I would still think you were just as handsome as you are now.”  He kissed her and then opened a drawer of the island where he took out a small wrapped gift and handed it to her.

“Ross…I don’t need anything.”  “Demelza, it’s Valentine’s Day.  If I can’t give you a gift today, when can I?”  She smiled as she tore into the paper, revealing a small Tiffany & Co. box that she then opened.  Inside was a heart pendant.  He barely gave her any time to look at it when he said, “The twins and I picked it out togeth…”  She interrupted him, “I love it.”  He took it from the box as he stood behind her and clasped it around her neck.  They shared a quick kiss when he said, “Let’s eat.”

They took at seat at the candlelit table.  The meal was amazing and the conversation and wine was flowing.  She was about to get up and clear their plates when he stopped her, “No, sweetheart, this is your special evening.  Allow me.  Anyways, I made dessert.”  He brought back to the table a small, chocolate cake that had been dusted with powdered sugar.  “This looks like a molten lava cake.”  He nodded, “It is.  Again Lindsay helped me with it.  She said I’d never know if I made it right until I broke into the center.”  Demelza did the honors by taking her fork, piercing the center of the pastry, a lake of yummy chocolate ganache spilling out.  Ross breathed a sigh of relief as Demelza told him, “Nicely done!”  She took a bite of the cake as Ross also found a fork and helped himself.  “MMMMM” she said, looking him in the eyes,  “The cake is so…” “Say it, Demelza!”  “Arrgghhh, fine… _moist_.  There, are you happy?” She took her finger and swiped a bit of the chocolate lava, bringing it to her mouth to sample.  “Oh, Ross…you did such a good job.”  “Yeah?” he asked, but quickly saw she had more on her finger that she was nearing to his mouth.  He knew how to remove the treat slowly and seductively but interrupted the mood by saying, “I need to check something upstairs really quickly.  I’ll be right back.” When he came back down, he told her, “I drew you a bath.  I figured you would be tired and out of sorts after your lunch service.  Why don’t you take your wine and I’ll clean up the kitchen?”

When Demelza got upstairs, she saw that not only had he drawn her a bath, he had lit a million candles and set a plate of chocolate covered strawberries on a stool near the tub.  He even added her favorite bath salts to the water.  He was spoiling her rotten.  She secured her hair in a messy bun, shed her clothes, and got in, sinking down until the water was up the her chin.  Downstairs she could hear Ross in the kitchen.  He was singing as he was putting away the food, “Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you.”  Demelza was grinning from ear to ear at her goofball husband.  “Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.”  She knew what her evening was missing.

“ROSS!”  She shouted out from her bath, hoping he could hear her all the way downstairs.  Nothing. “ROSS POLDARK!” she tried again.  His footsteps were instantly on the stairs.  He was now in her doorway, “What’s wrong?”  “My bath is missing something,” she told him.  He looked around, not able to imagine what it could be.  “You,” she said, extending her hand to him from the tub.  “I’m not done putting stuff aw…”  “Leave it,” she told him and watched him smile as he began taking his t-shirt off, revealing his muscular chest and well-defined arms.  He hadn’t been filming any scenes lately that required him to be almost naked, so he was covered with a more natural amount of hair on his torso that she couldn’t wait to run her fingers through.  Next his jeans joined his shirt on the floor as he took his place across from her in the tub, their feet and legs touching in the warm water.  “There.  Better,” she told him as he was sinking down and laying his head on the back of the tub. “I just thought you would want to de-stress by yourself, darling,” he told her as his toe was stroking her leg underwater.  “Ross, I enjoy everything better when I can share it with you.”

“Speaking of sharing,” she picked up a chocolate covered strawberry and took a bite,  “Did you make these too?” She was scooting closer to sit in front of him when he said, “Truthfully?  Lindsay did.  I was so engrossed in that bourgignone that I ran out of time.”  “Well, it’s the thought that counts,” and she brought the fruit to his mouth for a bite.  “Juicy,” he remarked with a raised eyebrow, and drew her closer to him as he began to kiss her neck.  She put the strawberry down and her hands were immediately in his un-manscaped thatch of chest hair.  “Ross, I just love all of this,” she managed to say with her fingers in his fur as he nipped at her neck.  “I love that you love it,” he was saying between kisses, “Some don’t.”  “Like Elizabeth?”  He immediately pulled back from her neck as they both burst out into laughter.  “Oh, god, Demelza.  Do you _still_ remember that story?”  “How could I forget?” she joked and turned around to rest her back against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.  

When they were first married, he had told her of a strange request his former fiancee had for him.  “She made me…well, I shouldn’t say made, because ultimately I chose to do this for her…she _asked_ me to wax my entire body,” he told his new wife.  “Why?”  “She said it would help her be more,” and he made air quotes, “attracted to me sexually.”  She shook her head in disbelief.  “Your _entire_ body?”  He nodded, “I had my beard on my chin and neck but below that…”  “Nothing?” she asked.  “Nothing.”  “You waxed your arms?”  “Yes.”  “Your legs?”  “Yes.” “Your…” “Yes.”  “Didn’t that hurt?”  “Like hell.”  “Was she more attracted to you _sexually_?” she asked, making the same air quotes.  He laughed, “Nope.  Not only that, I was already stubbly everywhere by that same evening.  Apparently, I’m an ape.”  Even back then, she had told him, “I like you that way.”

As they sat in the warm water, she asked him, “Are you comfortable sitting like this?  The Captain keeps twitching into my lower back.”  “Oh, sorry, darling.  He decided to come out to see what was going on the minute your hand reached for those strawberries.”  “That’s all it takes?” she giggled.  “I’m afraid so.”  She turned around carefully as her hand went below the water to grasp him there, “Well, let’s go do something about him…” “You mean you don’t want to stay here in this tub and have a water fiasco like last time?” he said chuckling as she shook her head no.  

“Well, lead the way,” he instructed her, and she stood, extending her hand to him to help him up and out.  She was handing him a towel when he pulled her close, body to body, wet skin to wet skin.  He was smoothing his hands all over her as their mouths were devouring each other; tongues warring, teeth clicking; she had raised a leg around his waist as she stood in front of  him, his hand under her thigh to keep her there.  She was fisting his curls as they moaned into each others mouths.  “Ross,” she practically panted, “take me to the bed.”  

He took her by the hand as he led her to their bedroom.  Standing in front of her, holding each of her hands, he asked, “It’s your special night, darling, how do you want it?”  She got a twinkle in her eye, “In that case…” and she pushed him forcefully by the shoulders onto the bed as she straddled his body.  Her hands were on his chest as she bent down to kiss him when he said, “I love when you get bossy in bed.”  “Then no more talking,” she ordered humorously, and he laughed, knowing she was joking.  Still he complied.

She hovered above him, grazing and teasing the tip of his manhood before taking him all the way in.  She saw the face he made when he was fully inside her, and heard him gasp.  “Sweetheart…” he whispered, forgetting the children were gone.  She began the circling gyrations of her hips that drove him crazy.  He reached up, both of his hands on her breasts as he squeezed and massaged them with the rhythm of her movements.  He couldn’t resist as he flipped them over, him now on top as he thrusted into her over and over.  “Ross…” She was wrapping her legs around his waist as she dug her fingers into his back.  He flipped them again so she was on top.  He held her by her hips to steady her above him as he increased the speed of his thrusting.  He was so close to his own release as his thumbs met at her womanhood, applying the right amount of pressure and stroking to bring her to her own edge.  He knew he was doing it right when he saw her furrowing her brow and saying, “Yes, Ross, yes, yes, yes…” with each bounce of his thrusts and each stroke of his thumbs.  He closed his own eyes, “Demelza!” as she felt him pulsing inside of her and the explosion of his warm seed.

He pulled her down to kiss her and she rolled off him, laying her head over his beating heart.  “Ross?”  “Hmmm?”  “What was all of this tonight?”  “What do you mean?  It’s Valentine’s Day.”  She nodded.  He felt he should explain more, “I just felt that everything Lindsay was going through with her divorce was making you feel a little insecure about us, so I planned a special night to show you that we are very much ok.  But, at the same time, I was trying not to go over the top, as if I was overcompensating for an indiscretion.  You didn’t think that did you?”  She shook her head no.  “I was a little busy to tell you when we were making love, but I noticed how beautiful you look in your necklace.  Do you like it?”  “Ross, I love it.”  “Your son actually picked it out.”  “Really?” she looked up surprised.  “Yes.  All three of us were on the Tiffany & Co. website, scrolling through all the pictures, and he pointed it out.  He said, ‘That’s the one for mommy.’”  “Well, he was right.  I love it.”

They were laying in the quiet when Ross’s cellphone rang.  He reached for it on his night table without disturbing Demelza.  “Hello?  Oh, hi.  What?  He did?  I’ll come get him right now.”  Demelza was sitting up to cast a worried glance at him.  “Oh, you’re staying there with Julia?  Great.”  Demelza saw him laugh, “No, I think the ‘festivities’ are done for the night,” and he winked at her.  “We’ve actually managed to squeeze in some quality time already, so it’s fine.  Ok.  Be right there.  Bye.”

“That was Lindsay,” he told his wife.  “Apparently, each of those valentines our son got came with a chocolate treat.  He ate every single one of them today.  All the girls who were previously in love with him probably are not now, because he threw up all over the lock-in.”  Demelza was giggling but offered, “Poor Jeremy!”  Ross was walking naked into the bathroom to get his clothes.  “Take my van, Ross, so he doesn’t mess up your new Range Rover.”  “New Range Rover?  HA! Don’t you remember Garrick already threw up in it?  I don’t even care.  It’s not a car that sits in a showroom somewhere, it’s a family taxi.” 

He was putting his boxers on when she stopped him, “Ross, what are those?” She was pointing to his underwear, which were black silky boxers, covered in red hearts.  “Didn’t you see these in the bathroom?  They’re my Valentine’s boxers.”  He turned to face her and she immediately burst out into hysterical laughter.  “Is that Pinocchio’s face around your fly?” He nodded.  “But his nose is missing.”  “Would you like to see his nose? It even grows…” he said humorously.  “Go pick up our son,” she giggled and rolled her eyes.  He threw on the rest of his clothes, “Are you going to bed, darling?”  “No, I want to be downstairs when you come home with Jeremy.  I can help you get him into bed.”  He nodded, “Ok.  Do you think you can finish putting away the food for me?”  “I forgot all about that!  Of course I can,” she told him.

She followed him downstairs and to the kitchen where the storage container for the bourgignone was on the floor, no trace of the meal to be found.  They knew what had happened.  “Garrick!”  Ross shouted over at the dog who was laying on his dog bed, feigning complete innocence, “Did you eat all the leftovers?”  Demelza thought she saw the guilty culprit burp.  They both knew he could put his front paws on the island and help himself to whatever he wanted.  “Happy Valentine’s Day, Demelza,” Ross said as he pecked her on the cheek.  “I’ll be right back with our vomiting son.”  She smacked him on the ass as he walked out of the kitchen and into the garage.

       

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm writing again! Thanks for being patient with me, but I think things are finally starting to feel normal again. I'm getting used to what life has become for me and my new routine, and things are starting to feel like they happened for a reason and that in the end it's for the best. I needed a little Ross to cheer me up, so I started daydreaming what Valentine's Day would be like in the Poldark house. Hope you enjoyed it!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Further proof that Ross is the best husband ever...

Demelza was coming home from the market as she carried the first few bags in to set on the island.  Garrick was circling her legs as the kids greeted her with, “Did you get the teddybear shaped cookies?  Did you get juice boxes?”  She was telling them she had when Ross walked in.  He kissed her on the cheek as he told her, “Just stay put.  I’ll get the rest of the groceries.”  He made several trips while Demelza started filing everything away into their respective cabinets.  The twins were eating the cookies, arms completely shoved in the box up to their elbows, and feeding Garrick some, one cookie at a time.  “Guys,” she said with her best mom voice, “Dinner is in two hours.  Don’t eat too much!”  Ross was setting the last bags in the kitchen when she turned to him and asked, “Why does this house smell funny?”

Jeremy and Julia immediately starting giggling as Jeremy told her, “There’s a surprise upstairs!”  “A surprise?”  She couldn’t think what it could be.  Ross looked at her to explain, “A paint surprise.  That’s what you smell.”  Julia was jumping down from her stool to take her mother’s hand, “Let’s go see it NOW!”  Demelza surveyed the remaining bags, making sure everything that needed refrigeration was taken care of.  She spotted the milk as she walked it over and put it away, still holding Julia’s hand, “Ok, mommy’s ready.”

Julia led her to the stairs where Jeremy said, “Close your eyes!”  Demelza did as she was told and stumbled on a couple of steps before Ross said, “It’s not till mommy gets all the way up that she needs to not see.  She’s going to fall, you two.”  He smiled at Demelza and took her by the hand the rest of the way up.  He then stood behind her as he tenderly covered her eyes with his own hands and walked her down the hall.  “Where are we going?” she asked the giggling group, and then offered, “It feels like you’ve walked me into Henry’s room.”  The twins were laughing with excitement as Ross uncovered her eyes.

What she saw next made her jaw drop.  On Henry’s plain blue walls were safari scenes, complete with baby lions, elephants and giraffes, all with cute eyes.  There were also trees and monkeys, and paint cans of various colors everywhere.  Demelza looked at them unsure of how this all got there.  “Daddy painted this for Henry!”  Jeremy told her as he walked over to the wall, “and I painted this leaf here.”  “I painted this banana here!”  Julia explained as she pointed proudly.  Ross was beaming as he told her, “I thought it would be fun to get everyone involved.”  Demelza’s mouth was still open, surveying her family and the artwork, but quickly told her children, “I love it, you guys!  You did such a good job.  Henry is going to love looking at this from his crib,” which was already set up in the room.  “Why don’t you go down and eat some more cookies.  I want to talk to daddy.”  The twins could hardly believe their ears, “More cookies?! Yayyyyyyyyyyy!” and Ross and Demelza heard their loud footsteps as they tromped down the stairs.

Demelza turned to face her husband, noticing for the first time the spattered paint t-shirt he had been wearing the entire time she had been home.  “How did you… ? When…?”  She couldn’t even get the words out.  Ross explained, “An artist friend from my show drew it and transferred it to the wall.  I just came in and painted it.  It was like a really big coloring book.”  “Don’t take this the wrong way but…it looks so good, like a professional did it.”  “I used to paint a bit, Demelza.  Used canvases and everything.  I was always shit at it, but it was fun.  And the kids were really good.  I barely had to fix what they did.  Look at Jeremy’s leaf over here.”  Ross started walking over as Demelza reached out for his arm to bring him back, “Do you think there’s enough cookies down there for you to whisk me away to our bedroom?”  He chuckled, “No.”  She walked over and put her arms around him, holding him tightly, and laying her head on his shoulder.  “Ross, this is one of the nicest things you’ve ever done.  And it’s beautiful.  And I love it.”  She continued to look at the wall from his shoulder.  She peeled herself back, “Thank you, Ross.”  He gave her a peck on the lips, “I’m glad you like it. Now let’s go down and stop our children from spoiling their dinner.”

When they got to the kitchen, Demelza hung up the calendar on the fridge that would count down the days until Henry’s arrival.  She showed the twins how he would be coming in September, around the time they would be starting first grade.  They were still months away from this date, but Jeremy got up and with the marker, put an X through today’s date that indicated they were one day closer and told the entire family of that fact.  Julia looked at her parents and said, “I can’t wait!”  Ross winked at Demelza, “See?  They’ve come around.”

************************

It was early morning and Demelza was sound asleep in bed, only to be awakened by Ross rolling over behind her.  His head was on her pillow as she heard him whisper, “Demelza, it’s Friday…”  She knew he was reminding her that Friday’s were the mornings their children refused to get out of bed.  Thursday nights Julia had gymnastics and dance, and Jeremy was busy with swimming and soccer, all of this making them extra tired and cranky for the next morning.  Ross and Demelza had to practically lift them out of bed kicking and screaming,  and put their school clothes on them.  Ross knew he had some uninterrupted time to spend with his wife this morning. He took his hand and tenderly moved her auburn hair over, revealing her neck as he kissed and nipped it with his teeth.  His baritone whisper was tickling her ear, “Sweetheart, I want you…”  He was throwing an arm around her waist as his hand traveled up and inside her shirt.  He began massaging her breast, working her nipple between his thumb and finger as he continued to kiss her behind her ear. “Do you want me too?” he asked her softly.

He lifted his arm when he felt her turning over to face him.  She had the exact look of desire in her eyes that he was hoping to see so he drew her to him and started kissing her with slow and soft, morning kisses.  Demelza loved that Ross wasn’t usually in a hurry and paid as much attention to the details of the warm-up as he did to the actual event.  He could feel her holding back, so he made sure to tell her, “Darling, your breath is fine.  You’re the most beautiful in the morning.”  She grimaced, “Even my hair?” as she tried to smooth it down.  “Even your hair.  Anyways, I’m the one with the wild curls.  Who did you say I looked like in the morning?”  She chuckled as she remembered, “Oh, Albert Einstein.”  

They both laughed and he began kissing her again.  Her nightclothes were still on, so he removed them slowly, kissing her all over her body.  Her fingers were in his morning curls as he kissed her from her neck to her breasts.  He was dropping his pajama pants on the floor when she surprised him by turning over, her back facing him, but then he quickly understood.  “From behind?” He saw her nodding.  She knew it was his favorite.  It made him feel primal, call of the wild.  He laid down and spooned her, rubbing himself across her womanhood, as he felt her slick wetness that indicated she was ready.  He slid into her slowly, immediately taken over by her warmth that surrounded him.  He began his thrusting as his hand left her hip for her breast.  She heard him grunting behind her as he kissed her shoulder.  It wasn’t taking him long, and she knew by the frantic movements, he was close to his release.  She felt him moaning into her shoulder, “Demelza, yes…”  as his warm seed exploded inside her.  Ross was never one to leave his wife unfinished.  He reached his hand down into her womanhood, knowing just what stroking and pressure she needed, his finger making circles around her.  In no time, her head was leaning back onto his shoulder as he kissed her, whispering, “You’re so beautiful when you come, Demelza.”

He withdrew from her and cuddled her, continuing to spoon her.  She saw her phone flash with a text message on the table beside the bed.  She reached for it as she turned to look at him.  He didn’t open his eyes, but smiled, somehow sensing she was looking at him.  “Please tell me I have a few more minutes to sleep, Demelza.”  She looked at her phone again, seeing the time and also that her message was from Lindsay.  “Ross, it’s only 4:59.  What were you doing up so early?  We’re practically making love in the middle of the night like newly weds!”  “Sorry,” he said as he was getting comfy on his pillow and pulling the covers up.  “It felt a lot later at the time.  See you in an hour and a half,” and he flipped over.

She had just started reading her message when she blurted out, “OH NO!”  Ross flipped back immediately, “What’s wrong?  Who is it?”  “It’s Lindsay,” she said with tears in her voice.  “Mark has decided to move all her things into the garage.”  Ross thought for a minute, “Is she still staying at her mom’s house?”  Demelza nodded.  “Well, legally he can’t do that.  It’s still her house.”  “I know,” Demelza was still nodding, “That’s why she’s so devastated.”  “Have they signed the divorce papers yet?” he asked her.  “No.”  “Then legally he can’t do that.”  “He’s telling her that his lawyer said because she’s moved out, he can.”  Ross was shaking his head, “What’s happened to him?  Has he snapped?  I thought we knew him after all these years.”  “Tell me about it,” Demelza said putting down her phone.  “Lindsay feels the same way, like she doesn’t even know who he is anymore.”  Ross turned to face her as he laid on his side, “I can get a big truck from the set and a dolly for Sunday.  Ask her if that works and we can help her go get everything and move it to her mom’s.”  She kissed him, “Thank you, Ross.  I’ll text her now.”  Ross closed his eyes and smiled, “Ok.  Going to sleep now.  I’m worn out for some reason…”

*************************

When Demelza came home from working at the restaurant Friday evening, she found a horrible scene playing out in her house.  Julia was following Ross around, absolutely screaming in hysterics as she cried huge tears.  “No, Daddy, NOOOOOOOOOOOO!”  Ross was walking around with something dripping in a towel as he tried to soothe her, “Sweetheart, I have to.  There’s no other choice.”  Neither one of them saw her as she was putting her keys and purse on the island.  

“What is going on, you two?” Demelza asked with concern in her voice.  “Oh, hi, darling.” Ross said as whatever continued to drip onto the towel he was holding underneath it.  “Julia, why don’t you tell mommy what happened.”  Julia was still balling her eyes out, and Demelza had a little trouble understanding what she was saying, “Olivia had to go potty, so I held her on the toilet seat.”  Olivia was Julia’s favorite stuffed bunny.  Demelza immediately looked up at Ross, “That doesn’t sound bad.  Why is she so upset?”  “Julia, tell mommy the whole story.”  Julia took a breath, “She was done, so I flushed and that’s when she fell in.”  “How did you get her out?” Demelza asked her daughter who quickly said, “Daddy.”  Ross explained, “Julia screamed, so naturally I ran into the bathroom, saw what happened, and had to reach my arm into a flushing toilet to get Olivia out who was all wet. Now she is going to get wet in the washing machine.”

Demelza was giggling, “Julia, I told you the other day not to play with your toys around the toilet.  The water is yucky. That’s where people poop and pee, not play toys.”  They were both following Ross into the laundry room.  When he opened the washer, Julia immediately started screaming, “No!  She will be scared!”  Ross looked at Demelza and then at his daughter as he said, “Julia, she’s done this before.  Remember the time you threw up in your bed last month?  You threw up on Olivia too.  I washed her that time and she was fine.”  “But she will be terrified!”  Julia screamed.  Ross thought a minute and said, “What if we throw in that blanket we keep on the couch that you like to cover up with?  It would wrap around Olivia inside the washer and keep her company.”  Julia was nodding emphatically, “Yes, daddy.  That would be good.”  

Demelza was smiling at how kind and patient her husband was with their children as well as with herself.  “I’ll get it,” Demelza told them as she left the room to gather the blanket. She was back in no time and they watched as Ross put the toy and the afghan Demelza had crocheted into the machine.  He turned on the washer and they watched everything begin to rotate through the front loading window.  Ross picked up his daughter, “See, Olivia is fine.  She will be back to normal in no time.  Why don’t you let mommy tuck you in to bed, and I’ll personally deliver her to you so you don’t miss a night’s sleep with her, OK?”  Julia nodded.  “Give me a kiss?”  he asked her as she leaned forward to peck her father on the lips.  Ross set her down and she ran up the steps with Demelza close behind.

When Demelza came back downstairs a few minutes later, Ross was on the sofa, watching TV.  He looked up at her, patting the seat beside him, “Come sit with me.”  She smiled and came over to the sofa, sitting on his lap facing him, as her legs straddled him where he sat.  “Oh, hello, kitten,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her, using a shortened version of “sex kitten,” which was what he called her when she got things started.  She was kissing his jaw as her hands were on his chest.  She began undoing the buttons of his shirt.  “You’re wearing a plaid, button-down shirt today,” she told him, almost surprised he wasn’t in his usual t-shirt.  “It was chilly when I picked up the twins from school, so I threw this on.”  She had the top two buttons undone as her finger was ruffling through the bit of chest hair that was now exposed.  The next two buttons were also undone, revealing more of his glorious chest.  Soon his shirt was completely open.  He loved his wife’s tender touch as she ran her hands up and down his torso and chest.  She kissed him and he felt her tongue in his mouth.  He was loving this.  Her fingers skimmed his abdomen as he felt her reach down and undo his jeans.  Her hands were on the top button and then the fly.  She opened his jeans as much as she could as he sat and then moved his boxers down as she took his warm, and now erect manhood into her hand.  He threw his head back as his arms were now resting on the back of the sofa, giving her free reign of anything she wanted to do.  He didn’t want to say it, but finally got out, “Darling, I don’t think this is wise. Here in the family room where’s there no door? I feel like Julia could come back anytime to check on her doll.”

“You’re absolutely right, Ross.  Why don’t I cover us with the blanket and we’ll act  like we’re just cuddling if she comes down.”  He looked at her, “You mean the blanket I threw in the washer?” “Oh, duh.  Meet me upstairs?” and she climbed off his lap to walk out of the room.  “You leave me like this, Demelza?” he called out after her, seeing what state he was currently in with his pants.  He stood and tucked himself back in, stopping in the laundry room to see how many minutes were left on the load before he eagerly took the steps two at a time.

A half hour, he was laying on his back, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.  He reached for Demelza’s hand, who was also laying beside him on her back, “Holy shit, woman. What got into you?”  She turned and grinned at him before shrugging her shoulders.  He reached for his cellphone to check the timer he set, “16 minutes and then I have to go down to throw Olivia in the dryer.”  He chuckled, “I don’t think I can move after all that…” She giggled, “I can go downstairs if you want me to.”  While his cellphone was in his hand, he turned to his wife, “I heard another song today that reminded me of you.  Can I play it?”  She squeezed his hand, “Yes.”  

The first notes of the song came on and then she heard the singer’s voice.  “Is that the new Ed Sheeran song?”  He nodded his head.  “Everybody in the kitchen today was talking about it and I had to say that I’d never heard it.”  They were talking when he stopped her to say, “This is the part, Demelza…”

 

Baby, I'm dancing in the dark with you between my arms

Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song

When you said you looked a mess, I whispered underneath my breath

But you heard it, darling, you look perfect tonight

 

She realized that laying next to him was too far away and rolled over to lay on his chest as she heard:

 

Well I found a woman, stronger than anyone I know

She shares my dreams, I hope that someday I'll share her home

I found a love, to carry more than just my secrets

To carry love, to carry children of our own

We are still kids, but we're so in love

Fighting against all odds

I know we'll be alright this time

Darling, just hold my hand

Be my girl, I'll be your man

I see my future in your eyes

 

“Ross, it’s a beautiful song, and I’m so touched that it makes you think of me.” He leaned down to meet her lips.  “Another song made me think of you,” and he stopped to change songs.  Demelza quickly heard the R&B notes, almost a bit ghetto.  “Is that Chris Brown?”  Ross nodded again.  Demelza heard the lyrics:

 

Juicy, said I wanna get to know your juicy booty, tonight

So show me that, so show me that, so show me that

Girl, I'm tryna meet your juicy, yeah yeah, juicy, juicy booty, girl, tonight

So turn around, turn around, turn around, turn around, turn around

Fellas, can you say, "Oh, girl"

Yeah, baby, I can't get you off my mind 'cause that ass so fat, when you do it like that

And you make me say, "Oh girl"

 

She was dying laughing, “Ross Poldark!  What is the name of this song?”  “Juicy Booty,” he answered, matter-of-factly.  “Juicy Booty?” she repeated back before they both were laughing.  Ross’s timer went off prompting Demelza to say, “Stay put, I’ll do it.”  She got out of bed and was bending down to get her robe when Ross, with a serious tone to his voice said, “Demelza?” “Hmmmmm?”  “Your booty is really juicy…”  “Ross!” She laughed, “I thought you were going to say something important.”  “It is important, Demelza.”  She shook her head, “Stay here, old man, and I’ll be right back.  She was in the hall when she heard him call out,  “You’re not all that much younger than me, you know!”

When she came back up, she found Ross asleep.  “Ross…” she said to her husband as he opened his eyes, immediately disoriented, “What day is it?”   “It’s Friday.  No, I wanted to tell you that Lindsay just texted me when I was downstairs.  Everything is set for Sunday.”  “Good.  I’ll get the truck and the dolly.  Demelza?”  “Yeah?”  “How long were Mark and Lindsay married?”  She immediately said, “Seven years.”  He was more awake now and thought a minute as she was dropping her robe and getting back into bed naked, “Weren’t you freaked out about us a couple of years ago?  You kept saying something with the number seven in it.”  “Oh, Seven Year Itch,” she reminded him.  “What even is that, darling?  Is that a real thing?”  “Yes.  It’s how long it’s supposed to take men to get bored with their wives and want to leave.”

He turned on his side to face her, “Demelza, you know how lucky I feel to have you and the twins, and now Henry coming? It’s not even that I love the cards I’ve been dealt, I can’t believe these are my cards.  I’m really not sure how I deserve any of this.  And anyways, I’ve never met an itch that you weren’t the one person who could scratch.”  He touched her cheek with his fingers, “And if I ever lost my mind, not that I would, and made you sleep one night on your family’s couch, I would be there so fast the next morning, begging you on my knees to forgive me and take me back.  You’re everything to me.  You’re my wife, my best friend, the mother to my children…but you’re also my event planner, my dietician and nutritionist, my personal stylist, my therapist, my alarm clock, my agent, my chef, my entertainment coordinator…” she looked over and giggled at him as she knew he was getting humorous.

“Our ninth anniversary is in June,” he reminded her as he looked her in the eyes, “I want to have our party in Ireland this year, OK?”  She looked at him, “Ok.  Why?”  “Well, because our tenth is when we will renew our vows in a big ceremony here in California, and also we will have Henry, and I remember what it’s like traveling with an infant, so I just wanted to have a small family thing in Ireland for our ninth.”  “Ok,” she nodded again, and had no idea he had already begun planning something special for her.  

He flipped on his stomach, giving Demelza one last smile as he drifted off to sleep.  He was just starting to dream when Demelza’s timer went off.  “I’ve got it this time,” he told her as he got up, scratching a butt cheek as he walked over to the dresser and found pajama pants to put on.  He was rubbing his eyes as he made his way down the stairs, retrieving the newly clean, and still warm, stuffed bunny.  Julia was already asleep when he got to her room, so he carefully tucked the bunny under her arm.  He was almost out of the room when he heard her say, “Thank you, daddy.”  “You’re welcome, Princess.”  He went next door and kissed a sleeping Jeremy on the forehead before he padded down the hall to return to Demelza.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this is a very random chapter. It's very long, and I'm not sure there's even a point to it other than it's just another glimpse into the life of the Family Poldark. Even though I'm writing again, I feel like my mind is still a little muddled and occupied with what is going on, but this is what I came up with for this family. Hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Thank you again for the continued messages and support. It has meant the world to me during this difficult time. It's getting easier and better every day!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross steps in and saves the day numerous times...

It was a beautiful, sunny, Sunday afternoon when Demelza parked her van and walked up the sidewalk.  She saw Lindsay standing on her mom’s porch and waved to her with her free hand, as her other was holding the plate of monster cookies she and the twin’s had baked for her.  “Hey, beautiful!” Demelza called out as she neared the porch and gave Lindsay a hug.  “These are for you,” she told her as she handed her the cookies, asking with concern, “Have you been eating?  You look really thin.”  Lindsay shook her head sadly, “No, I’ve lost 6 pounds in one week.”  “Well, these cookies have oatmeal in them so I guess they could be a meal of sorts.  Plus, hopefully you can taste all the love Jeremy and Julia put into them.  I just told them you were sad and needed some cheering up.”  “Thank you,” Lindsay smiled and gave Demelza another hug.

Demelza pulled back as she saw two more cars parking in front of the house.  She beamed from ear to ear as she asked Lindsay, “Linda and Elaine?” “Yes.  I thought we needed more help than just you and Ross.”  The four women were shrieking and laughing as hugs were exchanged by everyone.  Two strapping, young men about 17 years old, wearing cut-off tees and showing their muscles were walking towards them.  “Linda, is _this_ your son Logan?  I haven’t seen him in ages,” Demelza asked looking up.  “Yes,” Linda smiled, “and his friend Zach.  They are both on the football team this year.  I figured they could do the heavy lifting for us and save all of our backs.” Demelza gave Logan a hug, “I remember when you were this big,” and put her palm low to the ground.  “How tall are you now?”  “Six foot three,” he told her.  Demelza was shaking Zach’s hand when they heard the horn.

Ross was pulling up in front of the house in the big box-truck, waving to everyone.  Demelza immediately thought he looked oddly sexy behind the wheel, but then again, when didn’t Ross look sexy?  He opened the door and stood on the running board as he told the group, “Sorry I’m late.  Ready?”  Demelza began walking over to ride shotgun with him as everyone else piled into Elaine’s SUV.  Demelza was fastening her seatbelt as Ross was backing up.  He put his hand on the back of her seat as he was looking behind him and navigating the wheel with his left hand.  She was staring right at him.  “What?” he was asking confused.  “Your driving skills are turning me on.  I’ve never seen you drive a truck like this before.”  He threw his head back for the guffaw she loved, “There’s a lot of things you’ve never seen me do!”  “Like what?” she was asking him, but he never got a chance to answer as they were already pulling up in front of the house, as they had literally gone around the block. “I never realized Mark’s and her house was so close to her mom’s, ” Ross said, as he was throwing the truck in park. “Yeah, she can see her old house from all her mom’s windows. She’s even close enough that she saw Mark standing with a woman on his back patio.”  Ross shook his head as they both got out, “Poor Lindsay.”

The group in Elaine’s SUV was already standing in the driveway.  The first thing they did was load the belongings that were so callously boxed up and thrown in the garage. “He just threw all my necklaces in here,” Lindsay said trying to separate them.  They’re all a twisted mess!”  Ross and the boys were putting the dressers in the truck, “We’ll untangle them later,” Demelza was trying to soothe her.  “There’s leaves in my favorite slippers because he just threw them on the ground!”  Demelza came and put her arm around her, “We’ll wash them, sweetie.  We’ll pick the leaves off.  Everything will be fine.”

When they got into the house, Lindsay went from room to room, emptying them of the belongings she wanted.  She started in the kitchen and opened every drawer and every cabinet while the men were moving her brand new washer and dryer out of the basement and into the truck.  Ross came back, a bit out of breath to ask Demelza, “Where is Mark?  He couldn’t even help us?”  Lindsay heard him and offered, “He’s across the street, sitting on the tail gate of his new pickup truck.”  Ross went to the window, trying to see all the way over there, “That’s Mark?  That guy is smoking and covered with tattoos.”  “That’s Mark,” she told him.  “Since when did he start smoking?”  “Since now,” she told him.  Ross looked over at Lindsay, “If you were thinking you did something to cause this, I’d stop now.  This has nothing to do with you.  This is a mid-life crisis.”  She smiled and thanked him.

The truck was loaded up and the group made a trip around the block to Lindsay’s mom’s house where they unloaded everything into piles in the dining room around the table.  The men moved the washer and dryer into the basement.  Everyone got back into the truck for round two.  When they got back to Lindsay’s former home, Mark was standing in the yard with someone.  Lindsay was straining her eyes, “Is that a man or a woman?”  The group all glanced over.  No one was sure.  “She definitely looks rough,” Elaine was saying.  After backing the truck into the driveway, Ross looked too, “Wow, I don’t know.  I _think_ it’s a woman but maybe not…That should make you feel really good, Linz.  He certainly hasn’t upgraded…”  Everyone chuckled and headed into the house.

Lindsay’s attitude had been one of leaving a lot of things behind to ensure Mark could live comfortably.  But, after seeing the nerve he had to be there with a woman on moving out day; that plan went out the window.  “Take the curtains down,” she told the group and gave them instructions to pretty much vacate the house.  Everyone was taking several trips to the truck as Demelza and Lindsay were working on her clothes that were still hanging in her closet.  “I’ve put holes in these garbage bags.” Demelza told her, “Pass me a bunch of clothes on hangers and we’ll put the bags over them like makeshift garment bags.”  “Good idea,” and Lindsay started removing the clothes from the rack.  She was passing over several items when she heard her husband’s and that woman’s voice coming from the living room.  They were laughing and talking like they were totally into each other’s company.  Ross came into the back bedroom to tell them that Mark had actually brought the woman into the house when he saw Lindsay frozen and unable to move.  She looked at both Ross and Demelza with absolute panic in her eyes.  “I can’t do this,”  she told them.  “I can’t do this!”  Demelza put her hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes, “You can and you will, Linz.  You’re strong.  You’ve got this.  Just a few more minutes and it will all be over.  Just keep handing me your clothes.”  “I forgot what I was doing…”  “Just hand me the clothes, Lindsay, right there behind you in the closet.  You’re alright.”

Ross was furious.  “Hang on,” he told the women.  He stomped into the living room.  Demelza was reaching for the clothes when she heard her husband shouting, “Have you lost your mind?  Bringing a woman here now when your wife of almost 8 years is moving out?  You couldn’t have waited two hours until we were gone?  Get the hell out now, before I beat the living shit out of you!  We’ll text you when we’re gone.  And take that skank with you!” He returned to the bedroom.  “Problem solved,” he told the ladies, who smiled their appreciation at him, and he left to go load the truck.

Lindsay went up to the attic, noticing the piles of things she and her ex-husband had made, knowing that there was no way she could sort through all of that in one day.  She would have to come back on a different day for this. They then made two more trips to Lindsay’s mom’s house after that, four in total.  They moved everything in the dining room and also in the basement.  Lindsay kept telling everyone, “Just set it down.  I’ll organize it and go through it later.”  She introduced everyone to her mother, who had been in the living room the whole time, holding Lindsay’s dogs so they didn’t dart out the door with all the moving in and out.  Lindsay had been planning on sharing the dogs with Mark, until she saw the woman there, and then decided rather quickly that they would be living with her full time.  Everyone was hugging Lindsay and wishing her well as they were getting in their cars to leave.  It was now Demelza’s turn as she embraced her friend, telling her, “You’re going to be fine.  This will be a new and better Lindsay and the next chapter of your life is going to be full of good surprises.” Ross was standing behind his wife, holding two big bags, “Here, these are for you,” he told Lindsay, as he handed her one, that was making a terrible clinking sound like it was full of glass.  “What’s this?” She peeked in the bag as Ross told her, “It’s every lightbulb from the house.  They won’t be able to turn a single light on.”  “Ross!” Demelza exclaimed through giggles, “You didn’t!”  Ross handed Lindsay the other bag, “This is every roll of toilet paper in the house, including the one from beside the toilet. I even took the extra package I found from the closet.  I don’t think they will realize it until it’s too late.”  Lindsay and Demelza were dying laughing as he continued, “I may or may not have left the windows open in the basement and the faucet running down there too.”

That night in bed, Demelza was still laughing about all her husband’s pranks.  “Ross, I can’t believe you did all that stuff!  Taking the toilet paper and the light bulbs?”  Ross chuckled, “Mark really made me mad when he had that woman there.  Who does that?  Why would he subject Lindsay to that?”  Demelza was nodding, “I know.  That really was low class.  But the joke’s on him now.”  Ross grinned and patted her hand, “Do you know what’s no joke?  This back pain of mine.  I think I overdid it lifting that washer and dryer.”  Demelza got up, getting the tube of icy hot from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom.  She came back to the room, “Take off your shirt, Ross, and lay on your stomach.” “Oh, thank you, darling.  That would be great,” he told her as he took his t-shirt off, and laid on the bed face down. 

She knew where he was hurting and squeezed a bit onto his lower back.  She was massaging it in, as he was saying, “Wow, yes, Demelza.  That’s exactly where it hurts.”  He closed his eyes as she continued to tenderly rub the medicine into his skin.  “What about your shoulders?” she asked as she still had some of the medicine on her hands.  “No, I’m ok.”  She got up to put the tube back in the bathroom and to wash her hands, taking her place beside him in bed again.  He flipped over on his side and put a hand on her waist as she also reached her hand out to hold him.  They laid like this, side by side, so many times as they talked in bed.  Even the twins, who sometimes came into their room and into their bed unannounced, grew tired of waiting for their parents to stop talking and fell asleep behind Demelza.  “I’m sorry I’m not as young as I used to be.  I’m sorry I’m not like those football players today.”  She smiled at him because even THE Ross Poldark: actor, sex symbol, and GQ Man of the Year, needed his ego boosted from time to time.  “You mean those _boys_?” she asked him as he nodded.  The moment she saw them in their muscle shirts, looking young and full of promise, she knew her husband would draw comparisons to himself and feel bad.  

“I’m not interested in boys with peach fuzz on their chins.  I like men who can grow full beards,” she told him as she stroked the stubble on his face.  She was smoothing her hand up and down his arm, “Your arms are quite impressive, Ross.  They are so well-defined and muscular for an ‘old man,’” she said stifling a laugh and making air-quotes.  He was about to laugh when she asked him, “Do you know what I like best about your strong arms?”  He shook his head no.  “I love that even though there’s so much strength in them, they hold me so softly and tenderly, they cradle our children, and I can’t wait to see you with Henry.”  She could see his eyes softening up as he began to stroke her cheek with the back of his fingers.

She continued, “Ross, I love to see you with our children.  Of course you and Jeremy have such a special relationship, but when I see you holding Julia, with her head on your shoulder like when you carry her up to bed, my heart just melts.”  “Demelza…” he stopped her from going on and kissed her, “I love you so much.  With all my heart.”  He scooted closer to her and held her against his body.  “Look at all this manly chest hair you have,” she said as she was cuddling close to him, “I bet those _boys_ don’t have all of this.”  “Or back hair,” he chimed in, “have you seen my shoulder patches are back?  I’m going to have to make a waxing appointment.”  Her arms were around him as her hands ran up to what he was talking about, “Ross, you know I don’t care.  I’m not really a back-hair kind of girl, but I love you, and everything about you, and if that’s a part of you, then I’m ok with it.  You’re ok with my freckles I get if I spend too much time in the sun.”  He quickly said, “I love your freckles.  There like little targets for me to aim kisses.”  He peeled back and saw a couple on her chest above her nightie, “Like here,” and he kissed her, “and here,” followed by another kiss.

He kissed up her neck and then her lips.  She felt his tongue entering her mouth.  He was the most spectacular kisser she had ever known as his tongue gently searched her mouth.  “Demelza,” he whispered, “guess who just reported for duty?”  “The Captain?” but she didn’t need to ask as she could feel him on her leg.  “Maybe,” he joked, “Can he come inside?”  He was kissing her on her neck and chest again.  “Ross, your back.”  “I am back, and so is The Captain.”  “No!” she giggled, “I mean your back was hurting.  I just put icy hot on you.  Remember?”  “I believe I’m fine, sweetheart.” He was hiking up her nightie as he kissed her stomach.  He kissed lower as he got her ready with his mouth and tongue.  “Intoxicating,” is all he said.  “Ross…” He knew that meant she was ready and entered her slowly.  “God, you’re so tight and hot tonight. You feel so good, Demelza.” Her hands were above her head as he thrusted into her and suckled her breasts, “So, so good tonight, darling.” His weight was pushing her into the mattress as he reached his climax, the warm explosion inside her, and she threaded her hand in his curls as she arched her back and reached hers.

She rolled onto his chest like she always did, always hearing his beating heart.  “Ross, I absolutely love being a mom, but I look forward to spending time with you after they go to bed.”  “Sweetheart, it’s my favorite part of the day too, but I do love bedtime stories and tucking our children in.  He kissed her on the forehead, “When are you going back with Lindsay?”  “Thursday night,” she told him before they both drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to write this chapter because this is what happened to me. I am Lindsay and I had to get it out to begin the healing process. I'm not going to lie, it was weird to read it back. It was like I was reading about someone else. The only thing I changed was adding Ross to the moments I really needed him to help me. We all need a Ross in our lives...Anyways, I will get back to just Ross and Demelza soon, and the bundle of joy named Henry who is on his way...


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross comforts Demelza through a matter that is bothering her...

Thursday night, after dinner, Ross was removing the seats from Demelza’s van.  “You’ll be able to get more things in here now,” he told Demelza.  “I’m sorry I can’t come tonight.  You go and I’ll be the one to taxi the twins to swimming and soccer, dance and gymnastics.”  The moving posse consisted of Lindsay, Demelza, and Lindsay’s friends Holly, Debbie, Amanda, Jo, and Ginny, since Linda and Elaine were not able to make it.

Demelza was backing the van into Mark’s driveway when they all heard a terrible barking sound.  “Where are those dogs coming from?”  Lindsay was asking the group.  “Sounds like from your house,” Ginny told her.  The ladies all got out of the van, while Lindsay walked up the side porch with the key.  Her feet weren’t even on the first step when a giant dog from inside launched at the window next to the porch.  “What the hell!”  Lindsay shouted in surprise.  They all looked in the window that was missing it’s curtains since she had taken those a few days ago, and saw the three pitbulls that were roaming free inside the house.  “There’s no way we’re going in there,” Lindsay told everyone.  “Knock on the door and see if maybe someone’s home,” Demelza instructed her.  She did, and they waited, no one coming to the door.  Lindsay went around to the front door and did the same.  Nothing.  “Where did he get these dogs?  Are they his or do they belong to that woman?” she asked everyone.

“Maybe text him,” Debbie told Lindsay and then asked, “He knew you were coming, right?”  She nodded.  They all piled into the van, Demelza in the driver seat and Lindsay next to her as everyone else had to sit on the floor of the back of the van since the seats were removed.  They texted Mark who was on the road traveling and he was uncooperative about containing the dogs. They called the sheriff, who said they would just come out and shoot the dogs if they were aggressive, and then they finally called Lindsay’s lawyer who said they should just leave, and she would call Mark’s lawyer tomorrow.

Demelza was walking into the kitchen as Ross was about to leave to pick up the twins.  “That didn’t take long.”  “Oh, Ross.  It’s such a long and weird story.  I even have pictures.”  “Well, ride along with me and tell me the whole thing.”    

They were driving down the road when Demelza started to tell him about the dogs.  She passed him her phone and showed him the pics of them standing at the window and about how big and mean they looked.  Ross shook his head, “He knew you ladies were coming?” She nodded.  "Then he did this on purpose.  He has completely lost his mind.”  Demelza was saying to him, “You should’ve seen the texts he sent her tonight.  They were so mean and full of bad language.  I can’t believe the way he talked to her…the F word all over the place.”  Ross put his hand on her knee, like he always did when he drove, “Call me old fashioned, Demelza, but I just don’t believe in saying that to a woman, especially in anger.  You and I have had a few heated arguments, I think, it was so long ago…anyways, I wouldn’t dream of ever saying that to you…unless I was making a bedroom request,” he winked.  She playfully hit him on the arm. “When are you ladies going back?” he asked her as the car was pulling up outside of the dance center.  “Tomorrow, I think around 7 again,” she told him, glancing at the clock on his dash and seeing they were a bit early for pick-up.  “What time?”  “I don’t know yet, why?”  He took her hand, “Because I’m going with you.  I would feel better if I were there with you, with all of you, for your safety.”  He saw her leaning over as she pecked him on his stubbly cheek, “Thank you, Ross.”  She opened the door and went in to get Julia.

A day later, Ross was backing the van into Mark’s driveway; a repeat of what Demelza had done the night before.  They heard the “Hounds of Baskerville,” or what they now referred to the dogs, barking again.  Ross was undoing his seatbelt, “Ok, everyone stay put.  I’ll go up and see what’s going on.”  Everyone saw him knocking on the door that nobody answered, and saw the dogs lunging at the window again.  He came back to the van.  “Well, no one is here.”  Lindsay was furious, “My lawyer said we could file a Civil Protective Order and get him thrown out of this house if he didn’t cooperate tonight.”  Everyone turned to look at her, wondering how she was holding up through all of this.  Ross was the first to speak, “Do you really want that, Linz?  Or do you just want to get your stuff and be done with him?”  She nodded.  “Ok,” he said, “give me your house key and I’ll go in with the dogs and…” “Ross, NO!” Demelza was shouting, “they’ll attack you.”  “Listen…” he was trying to soothe his wife, “the dogs look kind of friendly and you know I’m the Dog Whisperer.  Remember that party we went to where…”  Demelza was now laughing, “Those dogs went from growling to rolling on their backs for belly rubs!”  Ross was blowing air on his knuckles and then polishing them on his shoulder, indicating he had the magic touch.  “So…” he continued, “I’ll go in there and put them in a bedroom or something, OK?”

They watched as he opened the door.  They saw the dogs jumping up on him, but also saw them licking his face and wagging their tails.  Ross disappeared and came back, “Mission completed.  They’re in the bedroom.  Coast is clear.”  Everyone piled out of the van.  Inside the house, they heard the dogs frantically barking from the back room, scratching on the door to get out.  “Ross,” Demelza said, “They are going to ruin that door!”  “I really don’t think that’s our concern,” he smiled.  They got the last of Lindsay’s stuff and got her completely moved out.  At the end of the evening, Ross presented Lindsay with another bag, “This is every shower curtain from the house…”

 

*****************************

 

Ross was on his knees on the bed as he held his wife under her hips, lifting her body up and towards him as he steadied her to his groin.  Her shoulders were on the mattress, but she arched her back as he lifted her,  thrusting into her again and again.  As usual, he had made sure that her needs were met first and she laid there already sated as she watched his final thrust that brought him to his moment.  He lowered her body as he fell forward onto her, kissing her face and shoulders, “Sweetheart…so good.” He rolled over, getting comfy on his pillows.  He was almost asleep when he heard her chuckle, so he flipped back over, kissing her shoulder in guilt, “I’m sorry we didn’t cuddle, darling.  I’m just so tired. Goodnight.”  It always made her laugh how desperately he needed to sleep right after sex.  She could get up, put her clothes on and clean the bathroom if she had to, but not Ross.  

He opened an eye, “You’re laughing at me aren’t you?”  “I just find it funny how exhausted you get,” she confessed. “You drain me,” he offered, “like a faucet.”  She was looking at him, so he went on, “Maybe if you had a Captain, you’d understand.”  She giggled, “If I had a Captain, would you be laying in this bed with me?”  “Oh, good point.”  He kissed her quickly on the cheek and said again, “Goodnight.”  “Ross?”  He flipped over again, “I don’t like the way you said that.  It sounds like a big deal.”  “No, I just want to ask you something if you’re able to stay awake that long.”  He immediately closed his eyes, dropped his mouth open, and made exaggerated snoring sounds, prompting her to hit him in the ribs.  “Ow! Hey!”

“Do you think we have too much sex?”  He looked at her, “This is what you wanted to ask me?”  She nodded, “I mean, compared to other couples, Ross.  We’ve been married 8 years now.  Isn’t this supposed to be waning? I feel like we have more sex now than we’ve  ever had.”  He thought a moment, “Well, there were several years where we were chasing around two very active toddlers that never wanted to sleep or take naps.  Do you remember those days and the lack of sex?” She covered her face with both hands, “Don’t remind me.  Once we finally got them down, we were too tired to do anything besides crash on the couch.”  He agreed, “And there were several years of that.”  

“Can I be honest since we’re talking about all of this?” he asked her.  She nodded, “Of course.”  He reached out and put his hand on her side, rubbing up and down, “I feel like there had been a bit of a disconnect between you and me that no longer exists.  Did I imagine it?”  She stared in his eyes, surprised that he could sense what she had tried to hide and wondering how long he felt that way, “No, you’re right.  There was.”  He looked at her with concern, “Why?”  “Well, for several years I really felt like a piece of your heart still belonged to Liz.  It wasn’t until we went through all of that a year ago that I gave up the notion completely.” He took her hand and brought it to his lips to kiss, “I thought maybe you were just overstressed with mom-duties.  I didn’t know that Liz was the reason for your distance.  You know I don’t love her at all, right?”  She nodded as he continued, “I feel such a connection to you now, like our souls are meeting.”  She kissed him, “I feel that too.” “Then don’t worry about what other people do in the bedroom.  All I know is that I want you so badly.  All the time,” he told her and then asked, “Don’t you want me too?”  “I do, Ross.  I’ve never said ‘yes’ when I meant ‘no.’”  “Then how can that be wrong?  Do you know what I want so badly right now?”  She looked at him while she waited for the answer, “To go to sleep.”  She giggled as she flipped over, “Goodnight, Ross.”

Demelza was sleeping soundly when the activity of the baby in her belly woke her.  Henry was really kicking tonight.  It could’ve been all the Mexican food that she begged Ross to bring home to satisfy her cravings.  Ever since getting pregnant, she couldn’t get enough spicy foods, the hotter the better, and wondered if this child would be born speaking Spanish.  She rolled on her side to get comfy, accidentally waking Ross who instantly turned over to face her.  “Can’t sleep? Thirsty?  Hungry?  Need something from the kitchen?” he asked her as she shook her head.  She loved how he doted on her.  Ross was the kind of husband where once he knew she was with child, didn’t want her to get up to do anything, volunteering to do whatever she needed.  “How do you feel?” he asked as his hand rubbed soft circles on her baby belly, “How are your ankles?”  “Don’t ask,” was her answer.  “Is our little man giving you fits?”  “Yes,” and she took his hand and guided it to the spot on the swell of her stomach.  She held her hand over his as he felt it, “Wow, sweetheart.  He’s doing jumping jacks tonight!”  His hand was under the hem of her shirt as he hiked it up, revealing more of her tummy.  He kissed her stomach before he said, “Hi, Henry, this is your daddy.”  Demelza never tired of him talking into her womb.  “Please settle down so mommy can sleep.  She’s tired and she’s given you all the enchiladas, tamales, and hot sauce that you asked for.  The least you could do is take a nap.”  Demelza was giggling. Ross looked up at her, “It’s almost time, sweetheart.  Just a week to go until we can hold him in our arms,” and he cupped her cheek.  Returning back to her stomach, “Mommy and I can’t wait to meet you, Henry, but not tonight, OK?”  Ross leaned forward to kiss his wife on the lips, his hand still resting gently on her baby bump.  “Demelza,” he said with a low and sexy voice, “I want to say hello to him in a different way…”  “Ross, I’m the size of a whale…”  “Turn over, sweetheart.  I promise I’ll be gentle.”  She looked at him as he repeated, “Turn over, please.”

Demelza woke up to see she was laying on Ross’s arm.  “Turn over, Demelza,” he was softly saying to her, “my arm’s asleep.”  She did and put a hand on her empty and barren womb.  It was all a dream that she had been having almost every night, to the point where she didn’t even want to fall asleep for fear she’d have it again.  Every night was a reminder of what she would never have or experience with her inability to get pregnant.  It didn’t used to bother her this much, but now she wanted it so badly.  She wanted nothing more than to feel Ross’s child moving and growing inside her.  She knew she was about to start crying so she quietly got up to use the bathroom.

Ross rolled over to see the empty spot where she had been laying.  He got up and walked to the bathroom.  She was sitting on the toilet as he leaned on the door frame, “Are you ok?”  “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”  She got up and went over to the sink as Ross took a spot in front of the toilet to use it too.  She was splashing water on her face as he came up behind her to stick his hands under the faucet, “Did you have a bad dream, darling?”  Her surprised eyes met his in the mirror, “How did you know, Ross?”  “I know you, Demelza, and you have that look about you.”

She hopped on the counter as he walked up between her legs, hugging her and holding her close, his hand rubbing up and down her back.  “Do you want to tell me about it?”  He peeled back to see her nodding as she looked down.  He took both of her hands and continued to stand in front of her as he listened to the whole dream.  When she was done, he held her close again as he told her, “Demelza, I’m so sorry.  I can’t imagine what it feels like for you as a woman to not be able to get pregnant.  I’m not going to pretend that I know how you feel.  But sweetheart, it doesn’t matter to me.  You know that.”  He was trying to look her in the eyes but she continued to look down.  “Think about what you can do: work and raise a family at the same time, cook better than anyone I know… That meringue on your pie last week was to perfection, Demelza.”  

She rested her head on his shoulder before he peeled back again.  “I’m going to say something and I’m sure it’s going to qualify me for ‘Worst Husband of the Year.’”  She smiled with amusement as she wondered what he was about to say.  “Seriously, Demelza, get the plaque ready to be engraved.”  He paused before he said, “Not having babies has kept your body smoking hot, but of course I would love you no matter what you looked like.”  “Ross!”  “I told you it was a terrible thing to say!  But seriously, Demelza, look at your breasts.  They’re so…what do you ladies call them when they are up here instead of way down there?”  “Perky,” she told him while laughing.  “Right,” he was squeezing them now with both of his hands.  “Did you just make a honking sound?”  “Quietly,” he told her.  “I know how you hate that.”  “What is it about men and honking boobs?”  “Believe me, ( honk), if I knew…  It’s like I’m compelled…(honk)” he said while he continued squeezing them with the dreaded sound effects.  She was giggling as he asked, “Feel better now?”  She nodded as he wrapped her in his strong embrace again.

She was resting against him when he asked her, “Did you ever think that big turkey sandwich you had after we got home from moving Lindsay is probably giving you nightmares?  They always say not to eat before going to bed, and that sandwich was massive!  Where did you put it all?”  He could feel her chuckling.  “Demelza?”  He sounded so serious, “Want me to talk to your turkey sandwich?”  She pulled back from him, rolling her eyes and laughing, “NOOOOOOOOO!  That won’t be necessary.”  “Well, too late, I’m going in,” and he lowered himself to his knees in front of her, putting his ear to her stomach.  “It’s really churning in there,” he announced.  “Hello turkey sandwich!” he said into her belly.  “Ross!” she was laughing.  He went on, “Where is my wife storing you?  I couldn’t believe my eyes when she ate all of you.  And you were very plain since her husband forgot to get her favorite mustard at the store,” and looked up at her, “You know I’m sorry about that,” as she shrugged that it didn’t matter.

“I’m not excited to meet you again, turkey sandwich.” She was really giggling as he said, “There’s my girl.  I just wanted you to laugh and not be sad,” and he stood back up.  “Come on,” and he extended his hand to her.  “Where are we going?”  “Just follow me,” as he kept reaching his hand to her.  She jumped off the counter and he took her down the hall to Julia’s bedroom.  He opened the door quietly as they stood there, looking in while they still held hands.  He whispered, “Look at that beautiful girl.  Where are the black curls she was born with?  Her hair gets more ginger colored everyday, just like yours.”  Demelza smiled at him and squeezed his hand as he asked her, “Do you care that she got here through a surrogate, because I don’t.”  She nodded while she looked at her daughter’s sleeping face.  Ross was making a good point and she got it.  

He took her down to Jeremy’s room, also opening the door.  Demelza was the first to speak, “And he’s so handsome, Ross.  Just like you.”  “Demelza, he’s so much better looking than I ever was.  His teacher said she’s never seen anyone get more valentine’s than he did.”  Demelza reminded him, “And he’s just in _kindergarten._ But, just like his father, he doesn’t seem to realize how good looking he is. _”_ He was about to say something when their son woke, and asked nervously, “What day is it?  Is it Saturday?”  Demelza laughed and came over to the bed to straighten his covers, “No, sweet boy, it’s Tuesday.”  “Is it time to get up for school?”  Ross was now on the other side of his bed, “No, son, you’ve got a few more hours.”  They took turns kissing him on the cheek as they quietly tiptoed out.

Ross took Demelza to Henry’s nursery that was all set up and ready to go.  “In just a few months there’s going to be a baby in this crib, Demelza.  I hope he looks just like you, darling, and we’ll call him Henry Carne Poldark.”  She shook her head and smiled, “I’m not in love with that name but…” “My middle name is a last name,” he reminded her.  “Demelza, we make beautiful children.  Who cares how they got here or didn’t get here.”  She nodded.  “Want to go make out?”  “Ross!” and she reached for the teddy bear in the crib, wielding it playfully as a weapon to strike her husband.  “Of course I’m kidding,” he said as he brought his arm up to shield himself, “unless of course you want to.  Then I’m very serious.”

He took her hand and they walked down the hall to their bedroom.  He stopped to kiss her on the lips as his hand snuck up and cupped her breast through her nightgown.  He leaned in to whisper in her ear, “honnnnkkkkkk.”  “ROSS POLDARK!”  She loved this goofball that was her husband so much.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the Lindsay story is over. Thank you for allowing me to indulge myself in telling my experiences. I really think it helped me heal to get it all out. Moving forward in this fic, we will only have Ross, Demelza, Jeremy, Julia, and of course, baby Henry.
> 
> Thank you to AnniIrina for the idea about a pregnant Demelza. I wanted to show just how doting Ross would be to her. Because she can't have children, I decided to make it a dream sequence. Hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Thank you also to Bonny for a conversation about how this Ross and Demelza are still having a very healthy sex life even though they are 8 years into their marriage. That was the inspiration for Demelza to ask him if they had too much sex.
> 
> I included a gif from S3 where Ross has his hand on the baby bump of a very pregnant Demelza. It was my inspiration for the dream sequence. I also included my all time favorite gif of "Ross" being an adorable goofball since he was joking around so much in this chapter.


	21. Saint Patrick's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross asks Demelza an important question and they find something out about Jeremy...

Demelza woke up to Ross stretching and yawning.  “Oh, good morning, darling,” he said when he saw her open eyes.  He leaned over and pecked her on the lips, “What do we have planned today?”  He loved that she was his calendar.  “You’re taking my van to get it’s oil changed at one and then you’re picking me up at the restaurant after you get the kids.”  “Ok,” he smiled at her.  “Kids have nothing special today?”  “They do.  It’s Sophie and Sarah’s birthday party after school.  Don’t forget to take the gifts that are in the closet we always hide presents in.”  “Ok, will do.”  She was scooting closer for morning cuddles as he held her close in his arms.  It was her favorite part of waking up with Ross; they could plan out their day while he held her.

They were laying in the quiet.  “Demelza?”  “Yes, Ross?”  “I’ve been offered the lead part in a play.”  She raised herself up on her elbow to look at him, “You did?  That’s great, Ross!  Right?  This is good news?”  “It is!” he smiled and told her the plot and who his character was.  “Ross, it sounds so different from your usual period drama hero.  Such a departure.  You’re actually evil in this.  I think you should do it.  It would show everyone the breadth of your acting skills.”  He smiled because he knew she was his biggest supporter.  He was about to say something when she started in again, “Ross, I’m sure you don’t need my permission.  If you want the role then I think you…” 

“Well, I kind of do need your permission.”  “Why?”  “Because it’s in New York.”  She shrugged, “That doesn’t matter.  I’m fine with the twins.  They’re at the age where they can do so much for themselves.”  “In January…”  “Oh,” she said, realizing that changed everything. “Henry will be,” she stopped to count on her fingers, “four months old.  How long will you be gone?”  “Six months.”  “SIX MONTHS?!?!?!  Ross, you won’t get home until he’s 10 months old!  You’ll miss everything!  The first teeth, the crawling, everything!”  He could tell she was bristling and getting mad.  “Why would you miss practically the whole first year of your son’s life?!?!?”  “Demelza, I…”  She wouldn’t let him get a word in, “You’re going to miss the coos and gurgles that he will make, the cute little smiles… you’re not even going to recognize him when…” “Demelza,”  “you get home unless you facetime us, and even then…” “Demelza,” “and even then he will look completely different when…”  He got his phone out and began scrolling as she was asking, “Can you at least come home on weekends?  I don’t think I want to fly with a four month old  and two seven year olds by myself and…”  

He put his phone in front of her face, which instantly silenced her.  She was staring at some kind of apartment.  “What am I looking at, Ross?”  “A penthouse apartment.  I’m talking about all of us moving to New York.  Even Garrick.”  She looked at him.  “I’ve put a lot of thought into this, Demelza.  This apartment has a roof-top garden with a patch of grass that Garrick could use so we wouldn’t have to walk him all the time, especially since we will be so busy with Henry.  And it’s close to my theater.”  She was still looking at him, stunned.  He swiped to the next picture, “Or, this brownstone that I found that also is close to the theater.  It has a more family feel of a home than the penthouse if that’s what you like.”  She was still staring at him and then brought up, “The twins are going to have to go to school…” “And there’s great schools in New York, some dealing heavily in the arts.”

She was quiet for a minute before she said, “Ross, this is really going to affect the kids.  I think they’re old enough to have a say. Let’s ask them if they want to go.”  “What if they don’t?”  “Then I’ll stay here with everyone.”  “Demelza, I don’t think I’d take this if you all weren’t…” “Ross, you should.  We’ll find a way.  But let’s ask the twins.  Want me to go down and get them?”  “Demelza, I think they are outside the door.  I heard footsteps and stirring.”  He leaned his head away from his wife as he shouted behind him, “Anyone out there?” and was greeted immediately by two voices shouting, “NOOOOOOOOO!”  “Well, then come in, guys,” and they came bouncing in as they jumped on the bed, getting comfy between their parents in the warm bed.

Demelza started first, "Daddy wants us to go to New York to live for a while.  What do you think?  Do you want to do this?”  Jeremy was thinking, “Will we have to go to a different school?” and he looked to his father, who was nodding his head.  “Well, I don’t want to then.  I don’t want to leave my friends, especially Keegan,” Jeremy was saying.  “Keegan?”  Demelza asked surprised, “Since when did you two become friends?”  “Yeah,” Ross chimed in, “I thought he was Julia’s…”  His daughter didn’t even let him finish his sentence before she was shouting, “HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!”

Julia looked at her brother, “Remember that candy store we learned about at school?  That BIG one?”  Her brother nodded.  “Well that’s in New York.”  “Oh, Dylan’s Candy Bar,”  Ross told her.  That’s not too far away from one of the places we could live in.”  “Could we go there, daddy?”  “Of course, sweetheart.”  “I’m in!” Julia quickly offered, “And I want to ride the subway.  We learned about that at school too.”  “Subways?  Now I’m in!” Jeremy was saying.  “I bet the Subway is so cool!”  Ross started to say quietly, “It probably smells like pis…”  “Ross!”  Demelza was trying to stop him.  “Pee pee.  It probably smells like pee pee,” Ross cleaned up his language.  The twins were already giggling as Demelza rolled her eyes and laughed.  “I’m in,”  Jeremy said as Julia repeated, “I’m in.”  “I’m in too,” Demelza told her family.  Ross smiled, “Great!”  He sat up and peered down from the foot of the bed where Garrick was laying on his dog bed, “Want to go to New York, old boy?”  He sat back up, facing his family, “Well, he said yes, so we’re all on board!”  

 

 

Demelza was the last one in the restaurant kitchen, cleaning up her station before Ross picked her up.  She knew he would be a little late as he was getting the oil changed in her van and when was the dealership ever prompt?  She was scrubbing the pots and pans, a task so menial that she couldn’t help but let her mind wander.  She was transported back to the night before when she could still feel the warm skin of her husband’s body as he held her in their bed and made love to her.  She remembered how he touched her, his fingers tracing over every part of her.  She thought about what his mouth had done to her and where.  Her body had responded so fully to every caress, every touch.  Ross even noticed as his lips left her breast to tell her, “Darling, you’re so warm and welcoming tonight.  You’re making The Captain so happy.  He’s about to show you how overjoyed he is…”  and she felt his throbbing deep inside her as his warm jets exploded.  She wrapped her legs tighter around his buttocks and he felt her fingers on his back change to her fingernails digging in his skin, “Ross, Ross, Ross, Ross, yes…” she was having her own release as he held her through it until her body stopped shaking.  “Amazing, darling,” he whispered between kisses into her neck as he withdrew.  

Just thinking about it was giving her butterflies, now, in the restaurant kitchen. “Focus, Demelza,” she told herself.  Her back was to the door as she continued washing up her utensils and pans.  As she worked, she had that feeling that someone was staring at her.  She turned around to see a tall, dark, Irishman standing quietly at the door.  “Hi, darling.  I didn’t want to startle you.”  She couldn’t hear what he had said from the instant butterflies in her stomach.  It always amazed her how every time she saw him leaning in a doorway, or found him after being separated in a store, the feeling was there in the pit of her stomach.  Even after all these years.  

“Ross! Hi!” He saw her face completely transform in a warm smile.  “Your van’s all set for another 3 months,” he told her as he came over to give her a hug.  She wrapped her arms around him, her fingers on the back of his neck, threading through his curls.  She loved the smell of him and breathed in his scent, noting that tonight it was mixed with fingernail polish remover.  “Julia painted your nails again?”  “Yes,” he said, sounding a bit frustrated, “and I even learned what an accent nail was.” Demelza giggled as Ross asked, “Ready?”  She packed up her knives and they walked out to the parking lot where Ross surprised her by opening the passenger door.  “Oh, thank you,” she said as she got into the vehicle.  

They were going down the road talking about everything, when Ross asked her, “Did you look at the links to the penthouse and brownstone I sent you?”  She nodded, “We had a little lull in  service so I checked them out.”  “And?” his eyes left the road to look at her, “I like the penthouse.”  “Really?  That surprises me.  I thought you’d want more of a house.”  She shook her head.  “The penthouse pics were taken at night and I really liked how the New York lights looked from every window.  Did you see the floor to ceiling windows in most of the apartment?  It was stunning!”  He agreed, “But I thought you’d be freaked out by the roof top garden and our children being out there.”  “Well, they wouldn’t be out there _alone,_ and the walls are really high.  I like it.”  “Then I’ll make all the arrangements,” he told her.  

While they were talking, a song came on the radio.  “Ross, this is the song that reminds me of you.”  Usually he was the one to play her music.  This was kind of a first.  He listened, “Is this Taylor Swift?”  “Yes.”  “A _Taylor Swift_ song made you think of me,” he said amused.  “Oh, this part here, Ross.”  He listened, “Big reputations, big reputations, ooooh you and me got big reputations…”  She laughed, “You’re getting quite famous, Ross.”  “Nonsense,” he said looking over at her. “Still the same old me.”  She looked over slyly at him, “Not just your reputation is big…”  He was about to joke with her, “Are you referring to my feet?” when he stopped to listen.  

“Is that Ed Sheeran?” he asked her.   She wondered why he was asking her, “Oh, yeah. He does this little rap in the middle of this song.”  Ross was quiet for a minute when he asked, “You like him, right?”  “Are you asking if I’m attracted to him?  Because, I mean…”  “You like his music, right?  He’s one of your favorites?”  “Yes, he’s one of my favorites.  Why?”  “Oh…no reason.  Just asking.”

 

*********************

March had arrived several days ago at the Poldark house.  Ross had just backed the car out of the garage as he took the twins to kindergarten when Julia burst into tears.  “Julia, what?”  Ross asked her with concern.  “I forgot to wear green,” she managed to tell him between sobs, “and so did Jeremy.”  “So?”  Ross asked her, “why is that a problem?”  She rolled her eyes a bit, “Because it’s Saint Patrick’s Day and Keegan told me that people who don’t wear green get pinched all day.  I don’t want that!”  Ross was chuckling, “Julia, your father is 1000% Irish, not even 100%, ONE THOUSANDTH percent Irish.  That makes you half Irish, which means you have more Irish in you than anyone at that school, whether or not you are wearing green.  So tell them that and pinch them back for being stupid… but don’t tell mommy I told you to pinch someone.” She nodded.  Jeremy said, “I’m not worried about it.  Listen to what I can do,” and began talking with the thickest Irish brogue, thicker than what Ross would use on a daily basis.  Ross almost threw on the brakes and quickly looked at his son in the rearview, “Jeremy, how are you doing that?”  “I just listen to you and Mimi and Poppy talk.  And I found out I can do it too.  The girls on the playground think it’s funny.  They ask me to do it all the time.”

Ross was telling that to Demelza in the kitchen that evening as she was cooking dinner.  He was leaning on the island asking, “Have you heard Jeremy’s accent?  It’s like a brogue.  It’s thick but surprisingly spot-on.”  Demelza stopped stirring to look at him, “But how?”  “That little shit’s been studying everyone; me, my mother and father… I remember him asking me a lot to say things the way I would in Ireland.  Now we know why.  He said the girls love it.”  Demelza put her spoon down and gave her husband her very best deer-in-the-headlights look.  “Ross, we’re going to be grandparents, sooner than we know!  That boy is already handsome, but add an _accent_? Dear lord!  He’s…”  “Demelza,”  “going to be _surrounded_ by women.  We’ll have to adopt his child, Ross.  Or _children!”_ “Demelza, I think…”  “How old do you think he would be?  Sixteen when he has his first child?”  Ross was laughing, “I really think you are over…”  “How old would I be?”  She was doing the math on her finger, “Because I would have to raise the child and then Henry would…”  “Demelza!”  Ross had his hands on both of her shoulders, “Look at me, darling.  Look me in the eyes.”  She did and he said, “He’s in _kindergarten_ , sweetheart.  He’s SIX.  And anyways, we’ll talk to him when he’s ready to hear it.  We’ll tell him about love and commitments.  We’ll tell him about waiting and being careful.  We’ll explain how easy it is to make babies.  He’s got us as an example of being faithful and in a healthy marriage.  You know he’s got a good head on his shoulders.”

Demelza looked down and nodded as Ross kissed her on the forehead.  “This is why I never worry,” he told her, “because you do enough of it for all of us.”  She looked up and smiled, picked up her spoon and started stirring again. “How did this even come up today?” she asked him.  “Oh, because Julia forgot to wear green and was worried about getting pinched.  I told her she had Irish in her already.”  Ross noticed that as Demelza put her spoon down again, she had a very strange look on her face, almost seductive.  “I’d like to have a little Irish in me.”  Ross looked at her, not understanding her joke, “Did you do one of those genealogy tests like 23 And Me?”  She came closer and put her arms around him, her hand playing with the curls hanging on the back of his neck as she whispered, “No, Ross, I’d like to have a little Irish inside me now,” as she began nibbling his ear.”  “Oh, well, that’s easily arranged,” and he kissed her tenderly, his hand cupping her breast and her fingers threaded through his glorious curls.  

They were interrupted by “GROSS!” as the twins entered the kitchen from upstairs.  Jeremy and Julia were getting to that age where their parents were an embarrassment, especially all their open displays of affection around the house.  Demelza looked down at her husband’s hand, still visibly squeezing her breast.  “Oh,” Ross said, quickly fixing the situation as he brushed his wife’s shirt.  “Mommy spilled some of that spaghetti sauce she’s cooking all over the front of her shirt.  See?  All gone now.  You know me and stain removal.”  He looked at the twins, “Did you wash up for dinner?” as they shook their heads no.  “Then up you go.  Back upstairs to wash your hands.  We’ll start getting plates ready.”  He playfully smacked Jeremy’s butt as he ran out of the room and up the stairs before returning to his wife, his arms wrapped around her and his chin on her shoulder as she stood at the stove.  He was tickling her neck with his lips as she tried to bring her shoulder up to shield herself from him.  She stopped giggling when he whispered, “I know two kids that are going to do a lot of playing in the back yard tonight with their father.  I guarantee they will turn in early.  I also know a woman who will have all her Irish dreams come true tonight.”  She giggled again, “I know a man who will be exhausted from playing with his kids that he will be passed out on the couch and will have to be woken up when it’s time for bed.  He will be too tired.”  “I’m never too tired for you, Demelza.” 

     

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was hoping to actually start writing about their upcoming trip to Ireland, but I just ran out of time. That's what's coming up next. We are going to be doing a lot of fast forwarding because Henry is waiting in the wings!


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross and Demelza find out some devastating news, birthdays are then celebrated, and Ross surprises his wife at their 9th anniversary party in Dublin...

Ross was walking to the mailbox, retrieving the usual junk mail and bills of the day.  Sorting through everything, he found the letter.  He went inside where he poured himself some coffee, and then sat down at the island to read what was inside the important looking envelope.  He put the letter down, took a sip of coffee, and picked the paper back up to read a second time.  He knew he was going to have to tell his wife.  He put the letter back in the envelope and put everything in a drawer of the island.  He got up and went about his day, the whole time planning what he was going to say to Demelza.

When she got home that evening, Ross had already cooked the twins spaghetti for dinner, helped them with their homework, and made sure they had baths for the night.  Garrick had been seen rolling in something in the back yard and got his own bath, resulting in all three Poldarks chasing a very wet and freshly bathed retriever, trying to dry him with towels as he ran around the house, shaking off his fur and showering the twins with water as they shrieked and laughed.  They were in their pajamas when they ran down to greet Demelza with hugs and kisses.  She came over and put her arms around Ross as she told him, “I’ll go read them a story and tuck them in.  Be right down,” and she picked up Jeremy who was extending his arms up to her, balancing him on her hip, and took Julia by the hand as they went up the stairs.

She came down a half hour later to find Ross pouring two glasses of wine at the island.  “Sit down, darling.  Tell me about your day at the restaurant.”  She smiled and they both sat at the island as he listened to her chattering away about the events of the day.”  He smiled as he listened.  When she seemed to finish and their was a lull in the conversation, Ross began to nervously plan out what he was going to say.  

“Demelza, there’s something I need to tell you.”  She saw the change in his demeanor and instantly knew it was bad news.  “What is it?” she asked him with visible concern, “Is it bad?”  “Well…” He put his hand on hers as he tried to find the words, “It seems that…” and he stopped, “Here, I think you should just read it.”  He got up to open the drawer of the island, producing the letter, and walked it over to his wife.  He handed it to her and watched as she got out the official piece of paper and began reading.  He didn’t need to wonder if she was understanding because her face was registering that she did.  He watched her expression contort to a frown and then anguish as she asked him, “Ross, is this for real?”  “I’m afraid so. I called to double check and I spoke with our lawyer.  Obviously we will take legal action…”  “All of our frozen eggs are useless?  Ruined?”  “Yes, it says there was a temperature malfunction in the storage process.”  He saw her eyes scanning the words again.  “We’re not going to have any more children?”  He heard the sadness in her voice and got up to put his arms around her. That’s when she burst into tears.  He was just as upset but knew he would be strong for her.  He let her bury her head in his chest as she sobbed.  She was saying something that he couldn’t understand, in a muffled voice.  “Hmmmm?” and he sat back down on his chair to hear her.  She wiped her eyes, “You always wanted four kids.  We only have three.  Are you going to be ok?”  “Oh, sure, Demelza,” he said stronger than he felt. “We really are blessed.”  “But you wanted two daughters,” she reminded him.  “Well, we might have had,” and they both nodded as they remembered Isabella Rose.  

He took her hand again, “We’re going to be fine, sweetheart.  We’ve got two wonderful kids and one on the way,” but if he could’ve said exactly what was on his mind, he would’ve told her that he was pissed.  He was furious that she had suffered through cancer and a partial hysterectomy at such a young age, and had gone through the necessary steps to ensure her future, and then this happened.  It was unfair, all of it, and there was nothing he could do to fix it.  He kissed her on the cheek, “Let’s take our wine to the family room, darling.  I’ll build a fire.  We can watch some TV.”  She nodded and picked up her wineglass. 

 

**************************

March came and went.  In April, Earth Day rolled around and Ross and Demelza showed the twins the importance of giving back to their community and the environment by participating in clean-up efforts at local parks.  In May, Demelza and a very tearful Ross sat in the front row as Jeremy and Julia walked across the stage where they shook the hands of both their teacher, Mrs. Morgenstern, and Principal Armitage at their kindergarten graduation.  Ross snapped several pictures and Demelza’s heart was bursting with love at how proud Ross was of his children, their beautiful twins who were about to turn seven, even though it felt like just yesterday. (Ross and Demelza had opted to keep the twins in pre-school an extra year, so Jeremy and Julia were a few months older than their classmates, most of them still six years old.)

June was eventful as all four birthdays were celebrated; the twins, Ross, and even Garrick who was turning 10.  His face was white, but he showed no signs of slowing down and even wore out the twins with his constant love of running and playing fetch.  The Poldark’s celebrated as they always did: a dinner outside on the deck of the beach house at sunset, complete with their best friends, Dwight, Caroline, and the Enys children.  As usual, Ross, the twins, and Garrick all sported party hats, elastic under their chins, as Demelza brought out the ginormous cake with candles and sparklers.  Songs were sung while Jeremy and Julia blew out the candles, Ross only helping with the stubborn ones that didn’t want to extinguish.  He pulled Demelza to sit on his lap at the table while they all ate cake, even though she clearly had her own chair.  Garrick crunched his special dog cookie from the gourmet dog biscuit bakery near the restaurant Demelza had been working at.

This was a big birthday for Ross as he was turning thirty five and was anything but thrilled about it.  Demelza guarded his secret that he was coloring his hair, just at the temples, where some stubborn grays had sprouted.  He had on a couple of occasions passed her the tweezers to get a solitary gray sticking out of his eyebrow, and complained, “OWWWWWWW!  SHEEEESH!” when she got it.  He said he was lucky that his beard was still as black as it ever was, and Demelza nodded in agreement out of duty, but secretly she was excited to see his salt and pepper beard and hair, as she knew he would look just as handsome and distinguished, if not more.  She would love him no matter what.

They celebrated all birthdays about a week before the actual date, but on the evening of Ross’s actual birthday, while the twins were at Keegan and Kyra’s house, Demelza had a surprise for him.  Ross was sweeping out Demelza’s van in the garage when Demelza opened the door in the kitchen to shout at him, “Ross, it’s your birthday!  Take a break!  Anyways, come in, because I have something for you.”  “Let me just put everything away,” he told her, “I’ll be right in.”  She took out a big pink box from the fridge and set it down on the kitchen island.  She smiled when Ross walked in.  “What’s this?” he asked.  “It’s your birthday cake!” she giggled.  “I already had my cake,” he said confused and she shook her head, “No, Ross, I made that cake we all had at the beach house.  This is a special cake I didn’t make, just for you.”  “Oh, ok.  Let’s see it,” and he opened the box.  She saw the smile drain from his face, “Demelza, what is this?  Is it a map of Florida?”  She laughed, “Ross, the cake says ‘Happy Birthday, “Captain” Poldark,’  so it’s shaped like a peni…”  “DEMELZA!” he stopped her.  “Are you blushing, Ross?” she asked with surprise as she really thought he’d get a kick out of an adult cake.  “The kids could’ve…” “Oh, I made sure they weren’t here or didn’t find it,” she reassured him, “Nobody’s seen it but me, unless you count Caroline, who came to the bakery with me when I ordered it…”  “CAROLINE?” he was cringing.  “Oh, relax, Ross, but here, you haven’t seen the best part yet.”  

There was a small wire coming out of the cake attached to a small box with a button that Demelza pressed.  The cake immediately shot whipped cream out of the appropriate place.  It was enough to make Ross guffaw with his usual bellow, prompting Demelza immediately to relax as she was beginning to think that she had really missed the mark on if he would like this.  “Hysterical!” he said when he could finally stop laughing, immediately taking some of the cream on his finger to pass to his wife, who immediately sampled it from him, saying, “So good…”  Ross chased her around the island before he caught her, kissing her on the neck, “You little vixen!” as she shrieked and giggled.  

She handed him a knife and he cut his cake, the _entire_ cake.  “The kids can’t see this!” he said worriedly to her, obscuring the shape with all of the slices, “I’m even going to feel weird that they’re eating it.”  “Oh, Ross, it’s the same flour and sugar as any other cake!  I used to think you had a bit of that horny character in you that you played in that movie.  What was his name?”  “Mal?”  “Yeah, that was him. I used to think it wasn’t that big of a stretch for you to play that part, but then you had kids and became a PRUDE.”  He was nearing her, “Oh, I’m perfectly capable of being horny,” and he pulled her closer to him, arms around her waist as she wrapped hers around his neck.  They kissed with soft lips that quickly led to exploring each other’s mouths with tongues as they began to breath heavily.  She could feel him becoming erect as his hot breath was on her neck in between nips and kisses.  It would’ve led to so much more had Ross’s phone not rang. “Daddy, can you come get us now?” Jeremy asked.  “Ok, son, be right there.”  He turned to his wife, “I’ll go get them.  Maybe you could hide that cake in the freezer, behind healthy vegetables or someplace where they wouldn’t think to look, so I don’t have to feel weird when I see them eating it.”  “Prude,” she laughed and smacked him on the ass as he walked to the garage.”  He poked his head back in the door, “Caroline?”  “She ordered one for Dwight too.”  “Oh, god, Demelza!  Too much information!” and he was gone.

 

*******************************

 

It was a July evening in Dublin as Demelza was helping Ross with his tie, the one she had packed to go with his dark, navy suit.  “Do you just act like you don’t do this well so that I have to help you?”  “Guilty,” he chuckled, “I like having you near…”  She finished and turned to reveal her back and the open zipper of her dress.  He was zipping her up as she asked, “Where are we going again?”  He didn’t answer as he was still kissing the back of her neck, her hair in an elegant updo, so she asked, “Is it the pub with the stage upstairs?”  “Yes,” he said as he was reaching for his wallet.  

Downstairs, the twins were already dressed and sitting in the living room with Mimi and Poppy.  Everyone was chattering about Henry’s arrival in less than two months when Ross and Demelza made their way down.  “You’re coming to California for Henry’s birth, right?” Julia was asking her grandparents.  “We wouldn’t miss it,” both Pat and Eileen were telling them.  They all piled into Pat’s car who then drove the family to the anniversary dinner.

Ross had rented out the entire pub for the evening, so they would be the only ones there all night.  They made their way upstairs to where the tables were set up for the occasion, some family and friends already there who applauded when the blissfully married couple arrived.  Ross and Demelza took their places at a special table set up front.  Ross stood up and thanked everyone for coming and the meal was served.  

As they were eating, an employee of the pub came and whispered something in Ross’s ear.  He turned to Demelza, “I have to go, but I’ll be right back.”  “Go? What do you mean?  It’s the middle of our dinner!”  “Well, uh…” he hemmed and hawed, “I need to, uh, help, set up the stage for the next party.”  “Why?  Do you know them?”  “Um…no, they are just short staffed here tonight, and I uh…said I would help.  I’ll be right back, sweetheart.”  He kissed her on the forehead before he left.  Out in the hall, he met with the reason they had traveled all the way to Ireland and went over and finalized the plans for the evening.

While gone, everyone was asking for a speech, and of course, Demelza was the only one at the event.  She stood up reluctantly, “This is usually, my husband’s area of expertise but he’s not here,” she said trying not to sound as perturbed as she felt that he was MIA.  “I want to thank you all for coming tonight.  It means so much to Ross and myself that you would help us celebrate…” “nine wonderful years together,” Ross said as he was walking back into the room and standing next to his wife.  Ross smiled as he took Demelza’s hand.  “I still don’t know what I did to deserve her,” and he kissed his wife’s knuckles in their joined hands, “but I know not a day goes by where I don’t feel like the luckiest man in the world.”  Cake was served, and as they were eating, Ross was summoned again.  “I’ll be right…”  “You’re leaving us _again_ to go help strangers?  Who are these people?  Do you even know them?”  Demelza was getting mad.  “I’ll explain later, darling,” and again he was gone.  Some last minute questions had arisen about Demelza’s surprise that needed attending to.

As promised, he returned quickly.  Demelza had on her best smile to conceal how angry she was but snidely remarked to him, “So nice of you to join us.”  “Demelza,” Ross was trying to soothe her, “It will all make sense in a minute.”  Behind him the stage was being occupied by the special guest.  He turned to his wife, “Turn around.”  She did and could barley believe her eyes.

Ed Sheeran was standing in front of the microphone, greeting the room, “Good evening Poldark friends and family, Ross and Demelza.  About 6 months ago, I received an email from a man I’d never heard of before named Ross Poldark.  In this email, he talked about the beautiful love story he and his wife share and about how some of my song lyrics put to words exactly what he feels but sometimes can’t find ways to say to her.  He asked me if I would sing those songs to her personally, and his email was so heartfelt, I knew I had to.  So,” he got his guitar ready, “here goes.”  Demelza immediately heard the first notes of “Hearts Don’t Break Around Here.”  “Will you dance with me?”  Ross asked her.

They took their spot on the floor.  Ross held her in his arms as Demelza heard the words, 

 

She is the sweetest thing that I know

You should see the way she holds me when the lights go low

Shakes my soul like a pot hole

Every time.

 

  For a minute, she felt like she and Ross were the only ones in the room, they only ones left in the whole world.  This man, who had seen her at the grocery store eleven years ago and had given her his heart, all of his love and this beautiful life, was holding her in his arms while Ed Sheeran sang to her.  She closed her eyes and rested her cheek on his shoulder. He pressed his cheek to the back of her head as he swayed with her.  It wasn’t until she straightened up to look at Ross that she saw many had joined them on the dance floor, including Ross’s parents, and Ross’s older brother, Colin, and his wife.  Demelza smiled, as did everyone else in attendance when they saw Jeremy and Julia who were dancing together. “Ross, I’m sorry that I…”  “Shhhhh, It’s ok.” 

She gave him a quick kiss and pressed her cheek against his.  

 

Well I found love in the inside

The arms of a woman I know

She is the lighthouse in the night that will safely guide me home

And I’m not scared of passing over

Or the thought of growing old

Cause from now until I go 

Every night I’ll kiss you you’ll say in my ear

Oh we’re in love aren’t we? 

Hands in your hair, fingers and thumbs, baby, 

I feel safe when you’re holding me near

Love the way that you conquer your fear

You know hearts don’t break around here, oh yeah, yeah,  yeah.”

 

She was whispering in his ear, “Ross, I love you so very much.”  He turned his head to press soft kisses into her temple.

Ed Sheeran performed about 8 songs in total, one of which was Perfect where he even changed the lyrics to say, 

 

I found a woman

In a grocery store

She shares my dreams

She gives me more

 

causing Demelza to squeeze Ross’s hand even tighter.  Another song that was performed was Thinking Out Loud, which gave Ross the perfect opportunity to whisper to her, “And darling I will be loving you ’til we’re seventy.” The set ended with Demelza’s favorite, Gallway Girl, in which everyone got out on the floor and danced to the uptempo song.  Ross was holding Julia and Demelza had both of Jeremy’s hands as he danced in front of her.  Ed Sheeran finally took his bow from the stage, saying, “Happy anniversary, Ross and Demelza,” and they approached to shake his hand and to thank him for such a wonderful performance.

 

Demelza was exiting the ladies room when she bumped into Ed, who was packing up and getting ready to leave.  He smiled warmly at her, “Demelza, Hi!”  She was visibly star-struck and blushing, but managed to tell him, “Thank you for doing this tonight.  It was so great!  I didn’t know you knew my husband, but I suppose you would since you’re both Irish.”  He smiled, “No, I’ve never met him until tonight, and technically I’m English but my grandparents on my dad’s side were Irish.”  She looked at him with a confused expression, “Then why did you do this tonight?”  He smiled, “It was your husband’s email.  I had never read anything like it before.  I showed it to everyone: my friends, parents, my girlfriend…you know he really loves you, Demelza.”  She blushed again as he continued, “I made a few phone calls and found his agent who then helped me call him and I soon found out he was the same man over the phone that he was in the email.”  He leaned in, “Sometimes messages like that are written by someone else for that person, but not in this case.  That’s when I knew I had to do it. I had to come sing for you.”

Demelza was beaming from ear to ear as he leaned in again, “My mom was really excited that I would get to meet you both tonight, especially Ross.  She had been a big fan of the original period drama in the 70’s and now is a big fan of your husband’s.  I already sent her the pic of the three of us that we took tonight and she sent me a message back that said, ‘Swoon!’” he laughed.  “Well, thank you for everything,” Demelza told him, “It’s a night neither of us will ever forget.”  They smiled and as she turned away to return to the party, he said to her, “He’s a keeper, Demelza.”  She turned around, “I know.”

 

Ross and Demelza were now walking hand in hand down the hotel hallway.  “Can you believe my parents got us a room and volunteered to take the twins for the night?”  “It was very nice,” she looked at him.  He was reading the numbers on the doors when he stopped, “This is us.”  He looked at her, “How would you like to spend the evening?”  He kissed her in front of their door in the empty hallway.  She jumped into his arms and his hands went under her bum to support her as she wrapped her legs around his waist and they began kissing in earnest.  She felt as if someone was staring and pulled back from Ross to see the couple who had just left their room.  “Ross,” she was whispering, and he turned to the side to see them, still holding his wife.  The man began to speak, “Don’t stop on our account.  Looks like you newlyweds are going to have a fun night.”  Ross had turned and was scanning his keycard, Demelza still suspended around his waist. He was opening the door as Demelza told the couple, “We’ve been married nine years.”  Ross shut the door as he wedged her between his body and the wall, his hand sliding under her dress hem as he whispered in her ear, “Nine perfectly blissful years.”

 

       

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we've made it to JULY in this fic! Henry is coming in September. We're almost there! Life is still pretty hectic for me right now, I was able to get this finished enough to post but I really didn't have time to find good pics at the end. Sorry!


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Father / Son conversation between Ross and Jeremy...

Ross had put the kids to bed and was shaving in front of the bathroom mirror.  Demelza was due to come home from the restaurant any minute now.  He heard a noise at the bathroom door and looked up to find his son instead of his wife.  “What’cha doing?”  Jeremy asked his father.  “My beard is getting too thick, Jare.  Mommy doesn’t like it.  She likes this scratchy stuff.”  Jeremy smiled, “I like your beard.”  “Thank you!” Ross gloated as if he had just won an argument, “It’s because we’re men.  The beard is a man thing.”  He looked with a serious expression at his son, “Jeremy, I just tucked you in. What are you doing up?  Are you sick?”  “No,” he said as he walked in and stood next to his shirtless father, “I just wanted to ask you a question.”  “Ok, go ahead,” Ross answered as he put his electric razor down.

“When will I have hair on my chest like you?”  Ross laughed and picked up his son, setting him on the counter of the bathroom sink.  “You’re a Poldark, Jeremy.  It will come.  Be patient.  In fact, if you’re like your old dad, you’ll have hair on your chest _and_  your back.  The ladies don’t like back hair. But, I mean, you just wax it.  It’s not the end of the world, son.”  Jeremy was nodding.  “Ok, now off you go to bed, Jare.  Mommy will be home in minutes and wonder what you’re still doing up.”  He lifted him down from the countertop.

Jeremy didn’t budge as he looked up at his dad.  “Go,”  Ross was gesturing to his son as he was about to pick up his razor again.  “Daddy?”  “Hmmmm?”  “I kissed a girl at school.”  Ross put his razor down to stare at him, picking him back up and setting him on the sink.   “Uh oh, Jeremy.  Who?”  “Ashton.”  “The same Ashton from pre-school?  That Ashton?”  “Yes. I made this face at her,” and Jeremy immediately showed his father that he could raise one eyebrow up and leave the other down, “and she screamed and I chased her around the play ground.  She stopped running and when I caught up to her, I kissed her.”  “Jeremy, I didn’t know you could do the eyebrow thing.  You have to be careful.  There’s a lot of power in that.  It drives the women crazy! When I do that face to mommy, she lets me kiss her too.”  Ross smoothed the curls on his sons head, “So, report back.  How was it?  Did you like it?”  “It was ok,” Jeremy said, sounding very unimpressed, “It was alright.”  “Well, don’t rush things, son.  You’re only seven.  You don’t have to kiss anyone yet.  Why did you kiss Ashton?”  “I don’t know,” Jeremy shrugged, “When I stopped chasing her, it just seemed like the thing to do.”  Ross could not deny that it would also seem like the thing to do for himself too.  His son was certainly wired the same way.  “Where did you kiss her?”  Ross asked him.  “On the playground.”  “No, Jare, I mean where, like on her cheek or…”  “On the lips.”  “Oh, wow.  And what did Ashton say after you kissed her?” “She said, JEREMY POLDARK!  Don’t do that again!,” his son remembered, “but then she kissed me on the cheek and ran away.”  Ross chuckled that Ashton was also wired correctly as other women; pretending to be outraged, but secretly liking it.

Jeremy told his father, “When we went on the field trip to the zoo last week, Mrs. Morgenstern paired me up with Ashton and I had to hold her hand when we were all walking as a group.”  “How was that?”  “Her hands were really cold and not sweaty and slimy like _GHOULIA'S_.”  Ross was laughing, “Well, it’s not supposed to be great to hold your sister’s hand.  I think you like Ashton, son.”  Jeremy shrugged his shoulders.  

Demelza had come up the stairs and past Julia’s room where she peeked in and saw her daughter peacefully sleeping.  She saw her tight in her bedcovers and knew Ross had just tucked her in.  She also saw that Jeremy’s bed was empty and heard the voices from down the hall.  She was walking down to the bathroom when she heard, “Daddy, how would I know if I liked her for real?”  Ross was trying to think of an age appropriate example, “Well, say you had $20 dollars.”  “I could buy a Captain America action figure!” Jeremy shouted with excitement.  “Right,” Ross nodded.  But say like instead, you had to buy Ashton ice cream.  Would you miss your action figure if you used your money on Ashton, or would you be happy to give her something?”  Jeremy thought, “I guess I’d be happy.  I already have a bunch of action figures.”  Oh boy, Ross thought.  It’s starting already. 

“It sounds like you _do_ like her, Jeremy.  But you don’t have to kiss people until you are much older.  And don’t kiss girls that you wouldn’t sacrifice your action figure for.  I only kiss mommy.  I don’t kiss anyone else.”  “That lady kissed you at the vet’s office, and you kiss people in your movies all the time,” his son reminded him.  Demelza covered her mouth to stifle her guffaw.  How was her husband going to get out of this?  “Well, that was _wrong_ of that lady to kiss me and it hurt your mommy’s feelings very much.  I apologized to mommy about that several times.  And I know it’s hard to understand, but the acting thing is just pretend.  People tell me to do that and a bunch of people stand around watching with cameras, so it’s not really real.”  Ross said one final thing, “It’s not just that I can’t kiss other women, Jeremy.  It’s that I don’t even want to.  Mommy is it for me.”  Jeremy understood.  “Ready for bed now?”  Ross asked him.  Jeremy nodded as Ross leaned closer for his son to give him a goodnight kiss.  Ross lifted him down from the sink once again and watched as he ran out of the room and down the hall to his bed.

He was unplugging his razor to put away when Demelza walked in.  “Oooooh, look at you,” she said as she was smoothing her hand on his cheek, “That mangy beard is gone.”  “Replaced by this sandpaper…” he told her.  “I love the scratchiness.  Hey, what was that with Jare?”  “Jeremy kissed a girl.”  Ross watched the color drain from his wife’s face.  “See!” she said knowingly, “We _are_ going to be grandparents.”  “Sweetheart, didn’t you have some little innocent kiss when you were young that meant nothing? I think that’s what we have here.”  Demelza thought a minute, “Well, I do remember when I was three I grabbed Charlie Bowen by the ears and planted a kiss on his lips.”  Ross smiled, “Always the vixen…”  “Ross!”  “I bet he was older.”  “He _was_ four.”  “See… And you turned out fine.  So will our son.”  

She still looked serious.  “Ross? Do you know what I think about all the time?”  He was shaking his head.  “I think about how when we were just dating that we would’ve turned your parents into grandparents a lot sooner had I been able to have children.  I mean, we waited a while in our relationship to start down that road, but once we did, that’s pretty much all we did.”  “Well, I’m not going to lie,” he told his wife, “once you said you couldn’t conceive, I totally threw caution to the wind, but I know that if things were different, I would’ve done whatever you asked of me, and worn protection.  We would’ve been a lot more careful.  But once you came on to me, there was no turning back.”  “I came on to you?”  “Yes, Demelza,” he laughed, “you came on to me.”  “As I recall, you were the one who cooked me that candlelight dinner and ordered that beautiful night sky that we sat under.”  “Oh, I had control over the sky?”  “Yes, because it was terribly romantic and you knew it would work.”  He was laughing, “You were the one that was all sitting up against my body with your beautiful smelling hair in my face…”  “And you had a boner!”  “Well, you weren’t supposed to know that.  That whole time I was sending The Captain messages that now was not the time, but you know I can't control him when you're around.”  She giggled, “And then you whispered in my ear, ‘My house has more rooms than a kitchen…’”  “Well, maybe I was just stating a fact,” he joked, “because my house did have more rooms than…”  “So I came on to you?”  “Yes,” Ross chuckled.  She took his hand, “If you had $20, would you buy an action figure?”  “No, you know I’d buy you ice cream.”  “Even if you were hungry and had nothing to eat?” she asked him.  “Even then.”  “Well, you know I’d give you half.  And I’d feed you from the same spoon.”  He smiled at her before he raised his right eyebrow.  “Ross! Stop looking at me like that!”  He didn’t.  “Ross!” and he chased her all the way to their bedroom.

      

      

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, life is getting in the way a bit again. I didn't have my Dublin chapter finished but wanted to post something. I've had this little snippet laying around for a while and decided to post it tonight. I promise I'll get back to getting the Poldark's back to California and ready for Henry. We are in July in this story and Henry is coming in September...


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little alone time for a very busy Ross and Demelza, and finally the arrival of Henry...

 

Ross was already half asleep as Demelza was in the bathroom getting ready for bed.  He was just turning over when he heard her scream.  She sounded in pain, or scared, or both. “ROSS!”  He jumped up and ran into the bathroom as fast as he could.  He saw the puddle first and then looked up at her. “My water broke,” she told him, as she clutched onto her protruding, pregnant belly.  “Ok, sweetheart,” he said with a soothing voice that was meant to calm himself down as much as it was her, “Let’s get you to the hospital.  It’s time to meet Henry.”  He walked her over to the bed to sit while he grabbed the bag that had been packed for months.  He opened it to double check it’s contents and quickly saw it was empty.  He panicked, “Demelza, what happened to all…”  “Oh, I put it away.  Everything’s in the dresser.”  She was clutching her stomach in pain again when he started opening drawers.  Every drawer in every dresser was empty.  He was losing it.  He ran to the closet, which he discovered was a sea of empty hangers as she told him, “Ross, the baby is coming NOW.  There’s no time.  You’re going to have to deliver it yourself!” He turned and saw she was sitting in a pool of blood, blood everywhere: soaking in the mattress, running down her legs.  He ran to her side, “Demelza!  Are you ok? The baby!”  She looked at him with confused eyes, “What baby?  You know I can’t get pregnant.”  He reached out to touch her now flat stomach that had a second ago been huge.  That was the moment he always woke up in this recurring nightmare, sitting up quickly in his bed, unable to breathe, his forehead covered in sweat.

He glanced over and saw his still sleeping wife.  She was fine, but he had no idea where they were for a moment. Of course, he thought.  They were in their hotel room in Dublin and their children were with his parents.  Just last night, Ed Sheeran had serenaded Demelza with all her favorite songs at their ninth anniversary party.  Ross began to relax and laid back down.  His movements had woken Demelza up enough that she rolled over and threw an arm across his bare chest,  her head on his pillow and her long, peaceful breaths beneath his ear. He managed to wriggle the arm free that she was crushing underneath her body and wrapped it around her back as he drew her near, forcing her to use him as a long body-pillow.  His free arm was extending out for his phone, noticing it was 1pm which meant is was 5am California time.  He reached for the sheets, doing his best with one hand to cover them both.  He laid as still as he could, letting her sleep, enjoying the feel of her still naked body against him. 

It was no secret that they hadn’t been able to spend much time together lately because life had gotten very busy.  In June, upon the insistence of Julia’s music teacher at school, they had taken both their children to the auditions for a local production of the musical Annie.  Julia’s teacher was convinced she would be able to secure herself a nice part in the production, but no one saw coming that she would land the lead role as Annie herself.  Ross and Demelza knew their daughter had some pipes on her, and a very loud and boisterous voice, yet they didn’t know she could harness it in such a positive way.  Her first night on stage, no one was more surprised than her parents, who sat in the front row, mouths gaping, glancing periodically at each other as if to ask, “Who is this child?”  Demelza leaned over, “Ross, she inherited your acting skills.  Look at that ham! But where did she learn to sing like that?  Is that your side of the family?”  “No, darling, that’s from YOU,” he reminded her. “You have a beautiful voice.”  Julia had the entire auditorium enthralled and no one clapped louder than Ross, with tears in his eyes, Demelza quietly noted.  

Jeremy was a different story.  Everyone assumed he was “Little Ross.”  He looked like his father, could talk like him when asked to…everyone thought he had inherited all his traits, including his love of acting.  Jeremy was given the role of an extra in the chorus and often was standing in the background of a scene.  Demelza had tears streaming down her face trying not to laugh as she saw her son yawning when he should’ve been singing, (It _was_ past his bedtime), or forgetting his dance steps as he crashed into the person next to him.  He couldn’t have cared less about acting or being on stage and everyone in attendance could see that.  Demelza noticed how more people were taking note as they pointed and chuckled at Jeremy.  She had linked her arm around Ross’s, squeezing his bicep tightly as he covered his eyes and shook his head back and forth in reaction to his son’s performance, or lack thereof.  They both realized Jeremy was probably given a part out of pity because his _twin_ sister had landed the lead role.

And that’s how the month of June was spent:  If Demelza was working at the restaurant, Ross had taken the kids to their rehearsals and brought them home to a wife who was exhausted and already asleep in bed.  If Ross was on the set, Demelza was at the theater with the twins.  Julia had started taking singing lessons, which was added to the already busy schedules of soccer, swimming, dance, and gymnastics.  Ross and Demelza had become like two ships passing in the night: never really home or awake at the same time and always super tired.

But they had made up for that last night.  When Ross had carried his wife into their hotel room, suspending her body between him and the wall, he joked at their recent lack of intimacy by whispering in her ear, “Hi, my name is Ross.  Do you remember me?”  His hands left her body for a brief second as underneath the back of her thighs she felt him undoing the pants of his suit, letting them fall to his ankles.  She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist to keep from sliding down the wall.  Her dress was already above her hips and she had given Ross quite a show in the elevator of removing her black, lacy panties, stuffing them in her purse after she had teased them across Ross’s face.  She was making short work of his suit jacket and tie, but only managed to undo a few of the buttons of his dress shirt, revealing a bit of the soft, black hair of his chest.  She felt him entering her as she asked him, “Remember me now?”  “Darling,” he said with a low and sexy voice, “how could I ever forget?”  Her eyes closed and her mouth flew open the moment his movements started.  It was wild and unbridled yet he still stopped to worry, “Does this hurt, baby? You can’t be comfortable up against this wall.  Want me to…”  She was already so close and couldn’t let him finish his sentence, “Don’t you dare stop, Ross.  Please.”  He didn’t, and a few minutes later, she had collapsed in his arms, too spent to even hold herself up.  He immediately followed.  They were then laughing uproariously as he attempted to walk her over to the bed, still in his arms, taking short steps because his pants were still around his ankles.  “Ross, you’re going to drop me!” she shrieked.  “Put me down and I’ll walk.” “I like a challenge, Demelza.”  Then, “Ross, you’ve been walking for what seems like 5 hours.  We’re no closer to the bed.”  “You try walking like this.  I’m doing the best I can!”  Somehow he got her there as they fell into a laughing heap on the mattress.  They helped each other get completely naked as they cuddled in bed only to wake up hours later and take advantage of their alone time all over again.  

He was still thinking about their passionate night this morning as he held her while she slept.  She wasn’t by any means the first woman he had been with.  In fact, she was number five; maybe even six if anyone could remember what had happened at that party in New Zealand when he was filming his movie a long time before he had met her.  But it was different with Demelza.  The other women didn’t respond to his lovemaking like she had.  Sure, they had made the right noises and faces, but most women were good at faking those.  He might think the same of Demelza except her body would spasm and he would feel her flutterings gripping his manhood so tightly.  Her legs trembled and her warm dew poured forth on him in ways he had never experienced before.  You couldn’t fake that.  Demelza had told him she didn’t even know what an orgasm was until she met him, and his goal now was to give her one every time.  All that excited him when he made love to her, spurring him on to do more and go deeper.  His releases had never been so electric, accompanied by flashes of light behind his eyes.  She drained every bit of him dry, like he was offering everything he had to give her, and her body accepted it all, gladly.  And nine years later, it was just getting better.  She knew exactly how to touch him, and he knew exactly how she wanted it. He hated cliches, but she completed him.  He had never hungered for anyone as much as he had and still did for her, nor had anyone ever left him so sated.  She was the missing piece of the puzzle that made him whole. 

He looked down at her face as she slept on his chest.  She was everything to him: his wife, best friend, the mother of his children, the voice in his head… He leaned down to kiss her on the forehead when he felt the sneeze brewing in his nose.  Concentrate, he thought to himself.  Don’t wake her.  He took his fingers and pinched his nose closed, hoping that would squelch it.  He smiled when he realized the urge was gone.  He really was the loudest sneezer, especially when he was trying to be quiet about it.  He returned his attentions to her when it snuck up on him.  He literally had seconds to direct his head to the side as he sneezed his mighty sneeze.

Her eyes immediately opened, “What time is it?”  “Sorry, sweetheart.  I tried not to.  It’s only 5:15 California time.  Go back to sleep.”  “What are you doing up?” she asked.  “No reason, I just couldn’t sleep.”  She sat up with concern, “Was it that nightmare again?”  He didn’t say anything.  “Oh, Ross.  Again?  Was the suitcase empty?”  He was looking off in the distance.  “Was I sitting in blood again?”  He looked back and nodded.  “You poor man!  Why do you keep having that nightmare? Here, darling, come here,”  and she put her arms out to him. He sat up and leaned in as she put a gentle hand on his head, bringing him down to rest on the her bare bosom.  She stroked his hair and held him against her chest much like she did their children when they needed comforting.  “I’m very much alive and very much in love with you,” she told him, as she cradled him to her. He realized that she was thinking he was more upset than he really was.  In fact, he was getting a bit turned on and feeling playful.  He turned his head, and immediately nestled his nose between her breasts.  “Oh, hello,” he said with his face buried in his wife’s bosom.  She was still holding him against her when she heard him say something with a muffled voice.  “Ahhhnnnn breeeee,” she thought she heard him say.  “What was that?”  She released her hold on his head as he leaned back, catching his breath. “I said, I can’t breathe.”  “Oh, sorry,” she giggled.  “How did Ross Poldark die?” he joked with her.  “Thrown from his horse?  Car accident?  No, he suffocated in a boob sandwich.”  “Boob sandwich?  Is that the technical term for that?” she laughed.  “Yes, any man would immediately understand.  But sign me up, sweetheart.  I can’t think of a better way to go!”  

She laughed as she laid back down, “Did you really get Ed Sheeran to sing for me last night?”  He joined her on her pillow and she could feel his lips smiling as he kissed her.  “That must have been some email, Ross, to get him to do that.  What did you say?”  “I’ll never tell,” he joked with her.  “Not even if I…” and she whispered something in his ear that was making him spring to life.  “I could be persuaded in that case.”  Her hand was tracing his line of hair from his chest that traveled down, lower, under the sheets when one of their cellphones rang.  They both reached for them, “It’s yours,” he said getting to his first.  “Hello?” she answered.  She mouthed the name, “Jeremy” to Ross.  “Hi, sweet boy.  Yes, we’re almost ready to come home.  Did Mimi cook you breakfast?  Good.  Where’s your sister?  Ok, see you in a bit.  Love you more.”  Ross watched as she put her phone back on the nightstand,  getting up for the bathroom.  She peeked her head around the corner, “I think you’re going to want to follow me into the shower…”  She didn’t need to tell him twice as he quickly walked across the bed to get to her faster.

The next day they were hugging and kissing Mimi and Poppy goodbye at the airport, and two short months later they were hugging and kissing them hello at LAX.  It was now the night before Henry’s arrival and Ross’s parents, and Jeremy and Julia, were all going with Ross and Demelza to the hospital.  Sam and Rosey, and Drake and Morwenna were in LA also but were staying behind to greet everyone when they came home with Henry.  Ross was laying in bed with Demelza, staring at the bassinet that was set up next to their bed.  “In just hours, sweetheart…”  “I know!”  she grinned.  “It will be nice to have our family with us this time,” he told her.  She nodded, “Ross, why did we go by ourselves to get Jeremy and Julia?”  He shrugged, “I don’t know about you, but I was so nervous, scared out of my mind.  I don’t think I could’ve handled people with us.  Plus, I was afraid I would drop them or hold them wrong and everybody would see me making mistakes.”  She shook her head, “Ross, you were a natural!  From the moment they put our children in your arms, you looked like you were put on this earth to be a father.”  He kissed her and they tried their best to get a bit of sleep before the big day.

All six members of the Poldark family were now in the big sitting room, waiting for Henry to be brought in.  Everyone was passing the time with small talk, and leafing through magazines.  Jeremy was playing games on an Ipad, and Julia was watching Frozen on Demelza’s Iphone.  A grim looking nurse came into the room and immediately sought out Ross and Demelza. “Mr. and Mrs. Poldark, I’m afaid there’s been a complication…” 

 

        

    

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure what pics to post for this chapter, so I just included some of my favorite Aidan and Eleanor ones.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross and Demelza hear the news that there are complications with Henry's birth...

 

"There's been a complication."  Ross felt like he was in a vacuum, the world in slow-motion as his heart beat out of control.  The nurse was saying, “The doctors don’t like the way your son is breathing and his color is not quite right.  We’re running some tests now, but I wouldn’t get alarmed.  We’ll let you know the moment the results are in,” and she was gone.  Everyone was putting on a brave face and talking the situation down so as not to alarm Jeremy and Julia.  Ross’s mom was telling them, “Lot’s of babies have this, it’s not out of the ordinary.  Doctors just want to be sure.  I bet he’ll be just fine.”  The twins nodded and went back to what they were doing, seemingly unscathed.  Ross slipped out of the room very quietly to get some air, and it took Demelza a minute to realize he wasn’t there.

She was walking down an empty hospital corridor.  He was nowhere to be found.  She knew he was probably upset and freaking out.  She was about to turn the corner when she heard him clearing his throat they way he always did when tears were trapped and he was trying not to cry.  She followed the sound and realized he was in the men’s restroom.  “Ross” she said through the door as she tapped lightly on it.  “Let me have my moment, Demelza,” was the answer she got.  “Ross, come out, and talk to me.  I’m scared too.  Let’s be scared together." No response.  "The kids aren’t with me.”  She didn’t hear any movement from the other side of the door.  “Ross, if you don’t come out, I’m coming in.  I don’t care if there are men in there.”  Still no movement.  “Ok…” and she barged in to see he had just splashed water on his face and was drying it off with the sad paper towels all public restrooms have.  “ Oh, Ross…” and she put her arms around him as he leaned his head on her shoulder.  “Life is so fragile, Demelza. I hate this! Isabella Rose, the nightmares I kept having, all your eggs we lost, and now this…I can’t do it! It’s too much! I hate that I can’t do anything to fix it.”  “I know, shhhh,” she was saying soothingly as she stroked his curls much like she did her son.  “I’m freaking out too, Ross. But let’s wait and hear what the doctors say.” He wasn’t crying, but she could see it wouldn’t take much to make him start.  She pulled back and looked into his eyes, “We’ll face this as a team, OK?  And maybe it’s nothing.  We’ll find out together.”  He nodded as she told him, “I’ll go back and wait in the room, ok?  Come join us when you’re ready.”

She was embracing him again as she heard a man walking into the men’s restroom.  Demelza nervously swung around to see Ross’s father, Pat.  “Oh, there you two are!” he said with a smile.  "We’ve been looking all over for you.  Henry’s fine.  Just a false alarm that gave everyone a scare.  He’s in the room now and Eileen’s holding him.”  Demelza watched as a solitary tear escaped her husband’s eye and he beamed from ear to ear.  “Now, go,”  Pat told them, “I gotta take a piss and would rather not have an audience.”  Everyone chuckled as Ross quickly wiped his eyes.  Demelza took his hand and led him down the hall.

They were nearing the room when both of them saw the rather large baby in Eileen's arms.  Demelza looked at Ross as she exclaimed, “Good lord!  Is that Henry?  He’s HUGE!”  They were walking in the room when Eileen immediately jumped up and passed the infant to his mother, “Here, darling, hold your son.  We didn’t know where you were.”  “Dear heaven!”  Demelza exclaimed as she was carrying him to her seat, “Did they say how much he weighed?”  “Ten pounds on the nose,” Eileen was laughing.  Demelza turned to Ross, "I don’t know if anything I brought is going to fit him!” she joked.  Jeremy and Julia were standing next to her, peering down at their new brother.  Julia was the first to bend down and kiss him carefully on his knitted hospital cap.  Jeremy quickly did the same as Demelza grinned at how sweet her children were.  “How much did we weigh?”  Jeremy was asking.  “Well,” Ross began, “You were a little bigger but both of you were around 5 pounds.   Jeremy, you were almost 6.”  Demelza passed Henry to Ross.  She had her arm around her husband as she put her chin on his shoulder, “My god, Ross.  He looks _just_ like you.”  Pat had come back from the bathroom and took his seat, offering, “I didn’t want to say it, son, but he really does.  It’s a bit like deja vu all over again.”  Eileen was smiling and nodding, a bit misty eyed.  Demelza joked, “I think his first words will be spoken with an Irish accent!” 

Jeremy and Julia were practically dancing with impatience as they stood in front of their parents, “We want to hold him!  We want to hold him!” Ross and Demelza gave them the speech about how they would need to be careful and always keep his head supported.  Then they had the twins sit on the sofa in the room as they propped their elbows up with pillows, carefully putting the newborn in their arms.  

It was time for a family picture as Ross and Demelza stood behind the sofa, Henry in Julia’s arms as she and Jeremy sat.  Pat was just about to snap the pic of the "Poldark Five," as they now called themselves, when Julia screamed, “STOP!” almost waking poor Heny up.  “Julia, dear, you have to watch your voice around your sleeping brother.  What’s wrong?”  Ross asked as he leaned down to look at her.  “Mommy and I crocheted a special hat for Henry.  It’s in the bag we brought.  Can we put it on him for the picture?”  “Oh, of course, Julia,”  Demelza told her daughter, “I forgot all about it in the commotion."  She walked over to the bag, quickly retrieving the blue cap that she brought back over.  She was sitting next to Julia as she carefully removed the one from the hospital.  Julia was saying, “See daddy, I crocheted this dark band right here.  Mommy did the rest.”  But then she stopped talking when Henry’s head was bare and in between hats, looking at his thick, dark curls already across his head.  “He’s covered in hair, you guys!” she told the room, “I think we should’ve called him _Harry_ instead of Henry!” 

That evening, Pat and Eileen took the twins home, leaving Ross and Demelza to stay at the hospital in a suite with their new son.  At least this time they were closer in Los Angeles and not in San Francisco like with the twins.  Henry was carefully monitored that night, but continued to pass all his tests with flying colors.  He was fine and thriving.  Dwight and Caroline came to visit and of course Dwight weighed in with his medical knowledge, personally giving Henry a clean bill of health.  The next morning, Pat picked up the new parents and drove everyone home.

Demelza’s house was filled with people: both her brothers and their wives had flown in from Ohio, not only were Ross’s parents here from Ireland, but his older brother, Colin, and his wife had flown as well.  Even Dwight and Caroline and the girls were there to greet Henry when he was brought home.  Demelza sent Ross to the grocery for the ingredients for a big family dinner.  Nothing too extravagant, just a nice home-cooked meal to be shared family-style around the table.  Ross had just carried in the last bag when she began going through the items to get started.  “Where’s Henry?” he asked as he watched her rifling through everything.  “Everyone’s passing him around,” she smiled but then instantly furrowed her brow, “Where’s the yeast, Ross?  Did you forget?”  “No,” he chuckled, “I didn’t forget.  They were out, so I got you these…” and held up several cans of ready-to-bake crescent rolls.  He came up behind her and put his arms around her while he nuzzled her neck, “Anyways, who wants to be stuck in the kitchen all day making rolls from scratch when you can just pop these in the oven and spend more time with us.”  She looked at him worried so he turned her to face him, hands on her shoulder as he said, “Sweetheart, you have a new baby.  Nobody is going to care.”  She gave him a smile and a peck on the cheek before she smacked his butt on his way out of the kitchen.

The dinner table that night was full of smiles and fun conversations.  Julia sang bits of her songs from the summer’s musical she was in, and Jeremy asked his “Uncle” Dwight all sorts of medical questions, some of them rather unappetizing at the dinner table, since he had just discovered that he also wanted be a doctor, maybe even a surgeon, when he grew up.  Henry was passed around, everyone remarking how he looked just like Ross.  Demelza saw the bowl that held the rolls was empty, and jumped up remembering Ross had bought several cans of them.  It would just take her a few minutes to make more.  She excused herself, and as she stood in the kitchen, she could hear the laughing and the commotion from the table.  What a contrast from the life she thought she would have the day she was told she couldn’t have children.  Tonight her house was full of family and love.  She felt so blessed.

Ross was walking in the kitchen with Henry in his arms, “There you are!  You’re missing all the fun out there!  Look who woke up, mommy…isn’t it time for his bottle?”  Demelza was walking over to the cabinet to get out the formula when Ross handed the now awake infant to her.  “I’ve got it,” he told her as he took over the task, “Go out and sit, darling.”  “But I have to bake the…” “I can put them in the oven.  How long for the timer?”  “Fifteen minutes,” she told him as he shooed her out of the kitchen.  She got to the table just in time to hear Mimi Poldark telling the story about how Ross had fallen out of a tree much like Jeremy had.  “Ross was such a handful!” his mother told the dinner group as Demelza chuckled.

Demelza was now sitting in bed, holding a sleeping Henry.  The bassinet was just next to her, but she was not done looking down into his perfect and peaceful face.  Ross walked in with Jeremy and Julia, “Kiss your brother goodnight quickly so I can tuck you both in,” he told his children.  Demelza watched as each seven year old gently bent down to graze his head with their lips.  “Goodnight, _Harry_!” Julia said, proud of the nickname she had given him.  Ross left the room with them but was back minutes later to take his place in bed next to her.  He put his arm around his wife as he gazed down with her at their son.  He placed a kiss on her forehead, “I love you so much, darling.  He’s perfect.”  She smiled, “He is pretty wonderful.”  “I’d tell you we make beautiful babies,” Ross joked, “but I’d sound conceited since he does look exactly like me.  At least for now.”  She giggled as he continued, “Remember, Julia looked just like me too, but completely transformed into a little you.  Let’s hope that for this one too.”  “I don’t know, Ross, I like him just the way he is right now.”

She got up to lay him in the bassinet, right next to their bed.  When she returned and climbed in, she asked Ross, “Are you ok?  You were pretty upset yesterday.”  “Yeah…” he answered, “I was definitely freaked out when the nurse said that about his breathing.”  “But you’re ok now?” she inquired with concern.  He wasn’t above getting a little sympathy from her, “I still feel a bit upset.”  She didn’t understand what he was doing and began trying to find solutions for him, “Maybe you should talk to my therapist, Ross.  It always helps me to get stuff out.  I could call him tomorrow.”  “I think I know what could help me.”  She smiled, “Oh, good!  Like what?”  “A boob sandwich.”  “My god, Ross!  And here I thought you were seriously upset.”  “I am…” he said with an overly sad expression.  She was rolling her eyes as she shook her head, “Come here…”  She was wearing a low-cut nightgown as she put her arms out to him and he buried his nose between her breasts.  “That’s what I’m talking about, Demelza.” he said into her chest.  She kissed him on the top of his head, “Goodnight, Ross.”

    

  

   

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not kidding when I say that I was 12 pounds when I was born! Well, 11 pounds 12 ounces, but my family always rounds up when they tell the story. Nothing my mom brought to the hospital fit me because I was the size of a small toddler already. It was fun to write Henry in as also being a large baby.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross and Demelza adjust to the exhaustion that comes from having three children...

As expected, Henry had brought such joy to the Poldark household. Demelza smiled to herself every time she saw Ross walking around holding a sleeping baby to his chest, or the sight of both father and son napping together in Ross’s recliner.  Ross was such a good father.  He made sure the twins knew that he was still there for them as much as he could be.  Demelza peeked into Julia’s room to see Ross cradling Henry in his arms as he sat at Julia’s tea table, clinking glasses with her at her tea party. She looked closer and saw that Henry was even wearing a loosely draped boa as he slept in his father’s arms. She heard him telling Jeremy, “I’ll stand here at the patio door with Henry, and I can still watch your tricks on the trampoline, but it’s too sunny for me to take him outside right now.” As promised, he stood there for several minutes, shouting out, “Good job, son!  Wow!  Impressive!”  Ross was never too sexy to put the baby-sling on as he strapped Henry to chest and went about his day making sandwiches for the kids or even playing fetch with Garrick.  He was truly the best dad ever and he enjoyed it.  Demelza loved eavesdropping on the conversations between father and son, especially when Ross was changing Henry’s diaper.  Her heart absolutely melted every time she saw Henry on the changing table as Ross nibbled little feet saying, “I’ve got your toes!  I’ve got your toes, baby boy!”  He was so proud of how fast he could change him.  “Demelza, time me!”  he’d say to his wife as he had his diaper supplies around him, “I’m ready for the Nascar pit-crew!”  He was the only one in the family who could change Henry without getting peed in the face.  It happened once to Julia and she had no interest again in ever helping change her brother.  Ross would tell his family, “Put the new diaper underneath the old one and then, SWITCHAROO!” Demelza heard him saying, “Not today, sir.  Not going to piss in my face!  I was quicker than you!”  

However, Henry was not very good at sleeping through the night and the new parents were ragged by morning as they got up and tried to head out to their jobs.  Ross and Demelza were able to coordinate their schedules so that someone was home with Henry each day while the other was at work, and that’s how they decided who would be the one to attend to him in the middle of the night.  They would be awakened by the crying as Ross would ask, “What day is it?”  Demelza laid there thinking, too exhausted to even know, “I think Tuesday.”  “NOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Ross complained, knowing that she would be at the restaurant the next morning.  “That means it’s your turn, daddy,” Demelza joked as she pushed a reluctant Ross out of bed, flipping over to get whatever hours she could of more sleep.

They bought the twins noise-cancelling headphones, which seemed to do the trick as they woke up each morning rested and ready to go to school.  Ross and Demelza would ask them, “Didn’t you hear Henry fussing all night?”  “Nope.”  They were oblivious.  Ross joked as he whispered in his wife’s ear, “Perhaps they should’ve had these a long time ago for…” he cleared his throat, “ _other_ noises coming from that room.”  Demelza, as always, elbowed him in the ribs.  

In the rare cases that they got to bed early, both home, and all kids asleep, they were way too tired to even think about romance.  They both climbed into bed, immediately sinking into the soft mattress.  “I’m too tired, Ross, to even ask you to just hold me.”  He laughed, “I actually think I could manage that,” as he rolled over, scooting his chest to her back and pulling her body near.  Sometimes when they laid that way, she could feel a little start of his manhood, The Captain, as they liked to call it, reacting to being so close to her body, but tonight there was nothing.  She joked, “What, no Captain?”  Ross’s eyes were already closed tight, almost crossing the threshold of sleep as he told her, “The Captain’s on vacation, darling.  Didn’t even leave a forwarding address.  Adios, El Capitán…”  Demelza turned over, “First of all, why does The Captain speak Spanish and second, why are we so tired Ross?  We had _TWO_ babies last time.  We only have one now.”  Ross heard the concern in her voice and that she was no longer joking with him.  He opened his eyes to search her face before saying, “Sweetheart, we don’t have one child, we have three, and two of them are very active seven year olds.  Plus, we were 7 years younger.  We were in our twenties, and now we are in our thirties.”  She nodded, satisfied with his answer.  “It’ll get better, Demelza.  You know it’s just rough when they are little.”

Demelza even bought a very sexy nightgown to try to entice her husband.  He was sitting in bed, reading through the script of his upcoming play when she told him, “Stay here.  I have a surprise for you.” He peered over his pages at her, “Darling, I love how that sounds.  I’ll be waiting very impatiently.”  He went back to his reading as she took her La Perla bag into the bathroom.  Not only did this lacy ensemble have a plunging neckline, it dipped down so low in the back, almost revealing the top of her buttocks, and they both knew Ross had a thing for her “juicy booty” as he liked to refer to it.  She checked herself one last time in the mirror before she headed out.  

What she saw next was her poor husband, exhausted from three children, absolutely asleep as he sat up in bed, leaning his head on the headboard behind him.  She came and sat next to him on the edge of the bed, the movement of the mattress doing nothing to wake him up.  She giggled at how cute he was.  He was shirtless and her hand was instantly drawn to that little patch of hair in the very center of his chest that grew a little bit thicker and darker than the rest.  Her finger was ruffling it lightly when she replaced her hand with soft lips.  She moved up to kiss his pulse-point on his neck, and then the chiseled edge of his stubbly jaw.  She kissed his cheek slowly as she lingered and looked into his sleeping face.  She moved to his lips and kissed him when he woke up and whispered, “Hi.”  She smiled as she pulled back.  “Did I fall asleep?”  She nodded and told him, “This reminds me of that scene from Pretty Woman where Richard Gere also falls asleep sitting up in bed waiting for Julia Roberts.”  “What happened after she woke him?”  “She kisses him on the lips for the first time and then he lays her down, takes off her nightie and makes love to her.”  “I was hoping you would say that they just snuggled and went to sleep.”  She got into bed next to him and he held her.  “It’s ok, Ross.  You played hard with the kids today.  Get some sleep.  Goodnight.”  “Wait, Demelza.  What was my surprise?”  “I’m wearing it,” she explained.  His eyes were closed as he slid his hand across her hip and down to her buttocks covered by the silky fabric, “Well, it feels beautiful,” and soon after she heard his gentle and even breathing.

A week later, Demelza was coming home from an evening shift at the restaurant.  She was setting her keys on the island when Ross called out, “We’re in the family room, sweetheart.”  She walked in, Henry asleep in his reclining rocker-napper and Ross on the couch watching TV.  “Are the twins still at the movies?”  Ross nodded, “Yep, they actually just left with Dwight and Caroline.  They’ll be home around 9:30.”  Demelza was walking back to the kitchen as she called out, “Want a glass of wine?”  “Please,” she heard him say.  She returned with two glasses of chardonnay as he said, “Come sit and talk to me.”  She did and they discussed packing and travel arrangements for New York, as they were leaving mid January to live there for six months.  They continued sipping their wine, glancing over at Henry to make sure he was still sleeping peacefully.  

The conversation then changed to Demelza’s shift at the restaurant.  She was telling him about the events of the day and as he listened, she noticed that his eyes kept traveling down to her lips.  He was staring at her mouth the whole time she talked.  “Ross, are you listening to me?”  “Of course I am, darling.”  She wasn’t convinced, “Then what did I say?”  He smiled, “You said, ‘If Ashley would’ve shown up to work today, none of you would’ve gotten behind in the dinner service,’ right?”  She smiled and nodded, “Exactly.  I guess you were listening.”  “What did you think I was doing?”  “I don’t know.  Staring at my mouth.”  He put his wine down on the coffee table, “Well, I’m not going to lie, I was thinking about this,” and he leaned in to give her the softest of whisper kisses, his lips barely grazing hers.  He knew this was her favorite kind of kisses, the kind that left her begging for more.  “Ross,” she implored as they lingered and slowly pulled apart.  “Let’s make love, Demelza.”  “But Henry…” “Is asleep.” He kissed her with another soft kiss to punctuate his sentence.  “I’m sure there’s something I need to do tonight, Ross. The twin’s lunches?”  “Already packed,” and kissed her on the neck, below the ear.  “Dinner dishes?”  “Already in the dishwasher,”  and he kissed her on the cheek.  “Laundry in the dryer?”  “Shit.”  She smiled, “I’ll toss it in now.  You’ll wait for me?”   “Yes, and I promise I won’t fall asleep.”  She winked at him, “I’ll be right back.”

Not knowing how much time they would have, Ross decided to totally undress and sit on the couch as he waited, striking a sexy pose as he sat.  Demelza walked back in and giggled, “Ross!  I wasn’t expecting you to be already naked!  What did we just tell Jeremy?!?!”  He was thinking,  “I don’t know, sweetheart.  Quit playing with your winky in the bathtub?”  Demelza laughed, “Well, yes, we did tell him that.  That was getting awkward.  But no, I was thinking of what we just told him the other day.”  He was shrugging his very naked shoulders as she reminded him, “No bare buns on the couch!”  He reached out for her, tucking her under his body as he hovered above her while she shrieked and laughed, “There will be more than bare buns on this couch when I’m done with you!”  They were making so much commotion laughing that they stopped and froze when they heard Henry wake up and cry.  “No!” Ross said disappointed at their missed chance for lovemaking, hanging his head down on Demelza’s chest, and then saying, “Well, you’re still dressed and you’re the one making all the noise, so…”  As Demelza was pretending to be indignant, “ _I’m_ making all the noise?” they both noticed that Henry was asleep again, and they quickly picked up where they left off.

They both sat up to get her undressed.  He was quickly unbuttoning her shirt as he expertly unhooked her bra.  She stood to take the rest off.  He reached out to bring her to his lap, her legs on each side of him as he said, “Mount me, Demelza!” which sent both of them into another fit of laughter that almost woke Henry again.  “Mount me?  Seriously, Ross?  That sounds so ridiculous!”  The mood changed back as he began massaging her breasts with his fingers, tongue, and mouth.  He knew just how to do it, but was surprised when he heard her break out into short panting breaths, indicating she was already reaching a release from just that.  He quickly slid her onto himself.  His head flew back to rest on the sofa before he leaned up to find her neck, nibbled it and said, “I know it’s been a long time, but, damn, sweetheart.  You feel so good.”  “I’ve missed you, Ross,” she said as her hands were on his shoulders to steady herself and they began their very quiet movements.  His fingers were running through her hair, still secured up and away from her face from working.  He loved her auburn curls loose and free, cascading down on him, and asked, “Can I?”  before he took down her hair.  She leaned in, her curls grazing his shoulders as she whispered seductively in his ear, “I’m yours to do whatever you want.” “Jesus, Demelza!” he exclaimed with butterflies in his stomach and he flipped them over so her back was resting on the sofa, as he thrusted into her again and again.  By the look on her face, it was just what she wanted and needed as she kept calling out, “Yes…Don’t ever stop…”  

It was over quicker than they would have liked as they redressed, cuddled on the couch and watched TV.  Henry woke up and Demelza gave him a bottle.  They heard the garage door opening and closing, (Dwight and Caroline were the only other people to have the code to the door,) and the friends chatted a bit, Caroline holding Henry, before Demelza took the twins up to give them baths before bed.  She then came back down and got Henry from Ross, taking him upstairs to his bassinet while she herself got in bed and waited for her husband to join her.

Ross was locking up and checking things over when he heard a noise behind him.  He swung around to see his son walking through the kitchen, always without a stitch on.  “Jare!  Why are you always naked?  Put some clothes on!” “I’m still hungry.”  “Well, eat some cereal or something.” Jeremy nodded, “That’s what mommy said too.”  Ross stopped talking to put the detergent in the dishwasher before turning it on for the night. When he turned back around, Jeremy was nowhere to be found.  He walked into the family room, where he saw his son sitting in front of the TV with his bedtime snack.  “Jeremy, no bare buns on the couch!”  Jeremy put his spoon down, “Mommy said it was ok.  She kept saying, ‘Daddy can’t tell you not to tonight.”  Ross chuckled before telling him, “Your mommy is a stinker sometimes!”  He took the empty bowl from his son, “Now go!  Put your pajamas on and go to bed,” as he watched Jeremy streak up the stairs in his birthday suit.    

  

 

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter summary I gave to my editor friend was, "Ross is the best dad ever, they're too tired for sex, and then...SEX! I tried to make a better sounding summary for the final product. LOL


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross and Demelza have an argument. Then, a scary event makes Demelza change her mind...

As far as Ross could remember, Wednesday morning started off just like any other day.  He woke to his wife kissing him on the forehead, gently lifting the sleeping Henry from his chest as they slept in his recliner.  “What time did you come downstairs?” she was asking him.  “I don’t know…two, maybe three o’clock,” he told her as he stretched, his movements no longer restricted from a baby on his chest.  “You poor man!  I’ll give him his bottle and then why don’t you take him up to his bassinet and go to bed?  He always sleeps really well in the morning.”  Ross was nodding before he asked, “Am I taking the twins to school?”  “Nope.  It’s me today.  Seriously, go up to bed and I’ll bring Henry to you before I leave, OK?'  He smiled out of relief that he would be getting some much needed rest.  “I love you, Demelza.”  “I know,” she laughed.

The twins were sitting at the island, eating their cereal as Demelza fed Henry.  She immediately got into mom-mode.  “Don’t forget your lunches, guys.”  Julia rolled her eyes very dramatically.  “What’s that about, Jules?  What’s wrong with your lunch?”  “Nothing,” Julia whined as she lay her head on the island, creating more drama than there needed to be, “It’s just that Jeremy and I are going to be the only kids in the cafeteria today.”  “Why is that?” Demelza asked her.  Jeremy chimed in, “Because it’s ‘Take Your Kid Out To Lunch Day.’”  “Well,” Demelza cleared her throat, “I didn’t find that out until just last night when I went through your backpack, Jare, looking for your homework and found a crumpled up piece of paper about it that you were supposed to give me and daddy.  I’m working today.  But, I think I read that it’s held every month on the third Wednesday, so daddy and I will make sure to clear our schedule for next time, OK?”  “Ok,” they said in unison, Julia still with her head on the counter in disappointment.

Demelza tiptoed in the bedroom, placing Henry in his bassinet before going over to Ross’s bedside.  “Ross,” she said gently as she shook him.  “Ross…”  “Mmmmmm?”  She giggled at how sleepy he was, “Henry’s down and we’re leaving.”  “Ok,” and by automatic pilot, he lifted his head, eyes still closed, to peck his wife on the cheek before he laid back down on his pillows.  Demelza quietly went downstairs to get the twins and put them in her van for school.

Later that morning, Ross had Henry in the baby-sling as he was folding towels.  He heard the garage opening right before his wife walked in the kitchen.  “Demelza!  Why aren’t you at the restaurant?”  She smiled, “Power outage.  The entire block.  Can’t cook anything, so they sent us home.” Her mood turned serious, “Let’s hurry up and go to the school.”  “The school?” he asked surprised, “I’m still in my pajamas.”  She looked and he was sporting flannel bottoms with his favorite distressed, grey t-shirt, with the stretched out collar.  “The twins seemed really bummed that we weren’t taking them out for lunch like the other parents.  If we hurry up we can.”  He just stood there with an expression on his face that said, “Are you crazy?”  “Just throw some jeans on, Ross.”  “I haven’t showered or did anything with this hair of mine.”  “Sweetheart, you look just as sexy, perhaps even more so when you don’t even try.”  She took Henry from him, “Seriously, jeans and let’s go.  The twins will be so happy to see us.”  She watched as he ran up the stairs and she started strapping Henry in to his carrier / car seat.

Twenty minutes later they were walking into a poorly populated cafeteria, most of the students already out with their parents.  Ross quickly spotted their children, sitting together at a table in the corner, chewing in slow-motion their sad turkey sandwiches.  “Guys!  Over here!”  Ross and Demelza waved.  Jeremy and Julia’s faces automatically lit up as they ran over to give them hugs.  “What are you doing here?  We thought you were working, mommy.”  “We’re taking you out to lunch,” she told them as Ross added, “Go get your lunches.  Did you eat a lot yet?”  “We just got a few bites in.”  “Well, bring them home and eat them later for a snack.”

They watched as the twins retrieved their lunch bags, running back to their parents to ask, “Where are we going?”  They couldn’t believe their ears when Demelza said, “You pick.”  “Hamburgers and fries?” Jeremy inquired with excitement.  “God, that sounds good, Demelza,” Ross joined the conversation as he and both twins were now looking at her asking, “Can we? Can we? Can we?” knowing she would much rather they have something organic and healthy.  “Whatever you want,” she smiled.  Julia leaned down into the carrier Ross was holding by the handle to give her brother a kiss on the head, “When does Harry get to eat a burger?”  “Not for a while, sweetheart,” Ross told her.

The family went to the fast-food chain of Jeremy’s choice where the twins enjoyed chicken fingers and Ross had a quarter pounder.  Even Demelza had a mushroom and swiss burger and irritated Ross a bit when she kept stealing his fries.  The twins played on the indoor equipment before they were returned to school.  On the car ride back, Ross let out a ginormous belch that sent the kids into hysterics.  “Ross Poldark!”  Demelza scolded him, “Where are your manners?”  “Do it again, daddy!”  Jeremy was laughing.  Ross joked, “Better that end than the other!” but a few minutes later, he silently rolled down his window.  It took a minute, but it hit Demelza first. “OH MY GOD, ROSS!” as she rolled down her own window, sticking her head out for fresh air.  The kids were plugging their noses and gasping as Ross laughed, “Ok, so maybe it wasn’t the healthiest lunch.”  Demelza’s eyes were watering, as she shook her head in disbelief, “How you can clear out the van like this, I’ll never know.”  “It’s a gift,” he chuckled.  “Is it?” she laughed.

That evening, they all shared a meal at the kitchen island that Demelza prepared.  Then it was on to homework and there was even time to play in the backyard as Ross and Demelza sat on the stone bench with Henry.  The twins were tired enough that they turned in early, and Henry also was ready to sleep in his bassinet by the bed.  Ross and Demelza immediately knew how to spend their free time as lips found each other and tongues explored, mouths nibbled necks, backs crashed into walls as fingers threaded through hair, all before collapsing into bed. Afterwards, he held her near, stroking lazy circles on her back.  “What a perfect day, Demelza.  Everything from the moment we woke up to the moment we went to bed was just amazing.”  He heard her take in a breath as she said, “I’ve been thinking…”

He froze. He could never remember anything good that had followed those words.  “About what?” he inquired.  “The kids and I won’t be going to New York with you.”  He laughed because he thought she was joking.  “Yeah, that would be awful wouldn’t it!” he admitted.  “I don’t think I could…” She lifted her head off his chest to meet his gaze as she said, “No, Ross, I mean we’re staying here in California, the kids and I, when you go to New York.”  “Wait…what?  Why?”  “I just think it’s too dangerous and the kids will have to ride the subway to get to school…”  “With me, darling.  I’ll have to ride the subway to get to the theater.  I’ll be with them.  We can call a cab if it makes you feel better.”  He trailed off before he asked her, “What brought this on?  When I said we weren’t going to have a car while we’re there?  Nobody drives in New York, you know.”  “No,” she shook her head, “I’ve just been paying attention to the news and it doesn’t seem like a safe place for a young family.  We’ve been here in LA forever and nothing bad has ever happened."

“What sort of bad things are you talking about?”  She didn’t even miss a beat as she gave him the long laundry list: robberies, assaults, shootings, fights… she asked him if he needed her to go on.  “All those things happen here in LA too.”  “But not to us,” she explained to him.  He reminded her, “I’m here to take care of all of you, sweetheart, and I’ll take care of you in New York too.”  “Seriously, what could you do, Ross?  What could you do to protect us?”  He looked at her a bit wounded, “I’m scrappier than you know.  I had a bit of a past on the streets of Dublin.  It’s not like I became an actor because I was so focused on school. I was out on the streets, causing a bit of trouble.”  She shook her head, “Ross, I would feel safer with the kids here in California.”

He could see he was getting nowhere with her, but tried one last angle, “Demelza, I’ve already put the deposit down on the penthouse apartment.”  “That’s ok, Ross.  You can still live in it.  You’ll be there for 6 months.”  “Sweetheart, what am I going to do with 5 bedrooms and 4 baths?”  His mood was changing to one of frustration.  “Seriously, you tell me this _now_?  Just weeks before we’re supposed to leave?  I never would’ve taken this job if I knew!  Now I’m under contract!”  He sat up on the edge of the bed, his back turned to her.  “Ross, I’m just thinking about what’s best for the children.  I…”  “How about thinking what’s best for _all_ of us! You’re going to separate me from them and make me miss 6 developmental months of my son’s life?  I won’t even recognize him when I get home! Those were your words, remember?” as he referenced a previous conversation when she encouraged him to take this job, promising to move the family with him.

“Ross, I’m not budging on this.  In the long-run, I think you’ll see it’s for the best.”  She could see that he was just shaking his head, back and forth, over and over.  He stood, still back turned to her, not moving for several seconds before he turned around.  Instead of saying something, or climbing back into bed, she watched him grab his pillows.  “Where are you going?” she quickly asked with surprise.  “Where do you think I’m going?  I’ll be on the couch.  I can’t even sleep here tonight!”  “Ross, please, let’s talk more about this.”  She saw the look in his eyes as he told her, “I think you’ve said quite enough already.  And anyways, it appears your mind is made up, so what good would it do?”  She was desperate to make him stay, “But Ross, I’m at the restaurant tomorrow morning, I need you for Henry duty tonight.”  “Do you?”  he asked with ire, “because I’m sure when I’m gone for 6 months you’ll have to figure something out yourself.”  “Ross!” but he was already walking out of the room.  She curled up into a ball and cried.

The next morning, he was just as frosty with her.  When the family came down for breakfast before school, Demelza had Henry in her arms as she was getting a bottle ready.  Ross gently took him from her, explaining, “I’ll feed him this morning.  Looks like I better spend as much time with him as I can.”  She handed him over, refusing to acknowledge what he had just said when he asked her, “Do the twins know they’re staying?”  She was nodding.  He turned to them at the island where they were eating their oatmeal, “Do you know you’re not going to New York?” as Jeremy said, “Mommy said it would be easier for us to keep going the rest of the year in our school.  It would be too hard to change and come back.”  He tried looking Demelza in the eyes, but she refused to meet his gaze and was staring down at the countertop.  “Awesome, Demelza,” and he and Henry left the room.

That evening, she had walked out to the back alley behind the restaurant where her van was parked to drive home after her shift.  She put her key into the ignition but couldn’t get the vehicle to start.  She had been having problems with it lately, and even though Ross kept telling her it was time for a new vehicle, she wasn’t ready to throw in the towel yet.  She looked at her phone, realizing Ross was home alone since Dwight and Caroline had taken all three kids for the evening.

He answered her call on the second ring, “Demelza, what’s up?”  “My van won’t start, Ross.”  “Again?  Demelza, I really think it’s time for something new.  You have so many miles on it and it’s just old.”  “I know, ok.  But can you come pick me up?”  “Sure.  I’ll be right there.”

She put her phone back into her designer purse and got back out to lean up against the car.  It was a beautiful evening; the birds were singing as the sun was setting.  It was starting to get dark.  She had some time to go over in her mind all that had been happening with her and Ross and the decision to not leave LA.  She really hoped he would be able to see that she just had her children’s best interests at heart.  He had to understand that.  

As she stood there thinking, she realized someone was standing next to her.  It was a very tall and thin man, dressed in all black.  “Give me your purse,” he said with a gravelly voice.  She was about to protest when he pushed her down into the stones underneath her.  “Go away!” she was shouting.  She had been in many fights as a teenager in Ohio and also, you didn’t grow up with all brothers and not learn how to expertly knee someone in the nuts.  She was standing up when he lifted her, slamming her back against her van as he put his large hand around her neck.  He was squeezing her so tightly, she felt her airways becoming constricted.  She couldn’t breathe and began to panic.  “Take it,” she managed to get out with a strained voice between gasps.  She dropped her purse on the ground and he released her neck, bending down to pick it up.  She regained her breath as she got ready to kick him where it counted.  He anticipated her plans and drew his hand back to strike her.

Ross had pulled his Range Rover into the alley just in time to see the stranger making contact with his wife’s face.  “Demelza!”  He couldn’t get out of the car fast enough as he ran over to her.  She was laying in the stones next to her van as the man ran down the alley.  “My purse,” she told him as he helped her up.  “Go to my car if you can and lock the door!” he instructed her as he ran in hot pursuit of the thief.  She got in the passenger seat of his car.  Ross’s headlights were still on, illuminating everything that was happening in the alley.  She saw Ross catch up to the man, (she had never seen him run so fast, not even the time from the audience, when he had seen the look on Julia’s face and knew she was about to throw up all over the stage during a school play.)  The man instantly punched Ross, making contact with his eye. She saw Ross fall to the ground.  She then watched with fright as her husband got kicked in the stomach and then the ribs while down.  She was getting out her phone to call 911 when she saw Ross get up.  He was like a cyclone, delivering blow after blow.  He was pummeling the horrible man, who quickly dropped to the ground in a heap.  Ross picked up her Kate Spade bag, and as he walked closer to the car, she saw in the headlights the condition he was in.  Blood was coming out of his nose and covering most of his face.  She could see the start of the shiner he would have tomorrow from the incredible left hook he took to the eye.  She also saw the man get up and run out of the alley.

She quickly jumped out, getting him into the passenger seat where she had been sitting.  She drove him home, asking him several times if he needed to go to the emergency room, but he always said no.  She got him into the house, setting him down on the toilet of the half bath off the kitchen as she dampened a washcloth and gently got rid of the blood on his face.  He grimaced with pain every time she touched him.  She walked to the laundry room where she got him a clean t-shirt, taking the one he had been wearing off and rinsing it in cold water to expel the blood.  

Now at the kitchen island, she went to the freezer, bringing back three bags of frozen peas; one for his lip that was getting fatter by the minute, one for his eye, and another for his right hand that had delivered several punches.  She instructed him to hold one to his mouth, and one was on the counter for him to lean his knuckles on.  She tenderly moved his curls out of his face as she held the frozen bag to his cheek and eye.  “Oh, Ross, look at you!” she said with compassion and worry.  “Nobody messes with my wife,” he told her and then glanced up with the only eye he could open to ask her, “How’s your cheek?  Did he get you a good one?”  She was shaking her head no before she began to laugh a little, “I had my phone out for a while to call 911 when you were down on the ground but then realized the person that needed it was the thief! My god, Ross, I never knew you had it in you to fight like that!”

She was about to say something else when they both heard the garage door opening and closing.  Demelza had called Dwight and Caroline on their way home, and Dwight was now standing by himself in their kitchen.  “Caroline’s with the kids in the car.  I didn’t want them to come in until I saw what was going on.”  He looked Ross over who smiled and said, "You should see the other guy," as all three of them laughed.  Dwight felt confident in saying that Ross didn’t need stitches or anything further.  Demelza had done a good job of cleaning him up, so Dwight had Caroline bring in the family.  Everyone agreed that they would downplay the situation by telling the twins that daddy got into an car accident, much like the time Demelza’s face was also banged up from the near collision with the deer.  As soon as everyone was in the kitchen, Ross was immediately animated and smiling as best he could, giving his children no indication that they needed to worry about him.

That night in bed, Demelza cuddled up gently to him as he was still sore.  She immediately broke out into tears.  “Demelza, I’m fine.  Nothing a little rest won’t cure.  Goodnight.”  She continued to sob before she said, “Ross, I was wrong.” He looked at her, not sure what she meant.  She continued, “Bad things do happen in California.  And you are perfectly capable of taking care of us.”  His face was brightening up, “Does that mean you and the kids will come with me to New York?”  She was nodding, “Of course we will.  There’s no reason not to.  I’m so sorry I said we wouldn’t.”  He was reaching his arms out to her, and she planted a kiss on his lips that immediately sent him groaning in pain.  “Oh, Ross, I’m so sorry all this happened tonight.  But you saved me.  You’re my knight in shining armor.”  He was blushing a little when she gently kissed him on the cheek, still red from the blow he had sustained.  “I’m cured!” he joked, “My cheek no longer hurts.  Those are some magic lips you've got there!”  “In that case…” she smiled slyly as she gently put her lips on his eye.  “Better,” he smiled.  She softly kissed his lip.  “Mmm hmmm,” he smiled.  She lifted his tee up as she put her lips on his ribs that had been kicked.  “He also kicked my stomach,” and her lips traveled down.  “I got kicked somewhere else too,” he offered as her lips traveled down to his belly button.  “Lower,” he told her.  “Here?” as she kissed him just below his naval.  “Lower,” he said again. “He kicked The Captain?”  “Yes,” Ross said as he jutted out his lower lip in true pouting style.  “Well, let’s see what we can do about that,” as her lips went on a journey…

      

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm afraid a lot of this chapter was written just because I find a beat-up Ross so attractive. I don't know why. Makes me want to tend his wounds and give him a sponge bath... LOL Also, I never tire in making him be the knight in shining armor that rescues her...


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Demelza brings Ross home after the fight in the alley with the thief who stole her purse...

All night, Demelza had dreams of Ross; he was running down the alley after the man who stole her purse, he was delivering punch after punch to her attacker, and she saw his bloody face again and again as he walked her purse back to her.  He had saved her.  No one in her life would’ve done the same, not even her own father, but Ross did.  

But then her mind engaged her in another dream that was very upsetting.  She had come home from the restaurant one night and Ross was standing in the kitchen with divorce papers.  He had secretly filed without even telling her, lining things up for months like getting loans and paying off his things so that she was stuck with all charges they had made together with the cards that carried her name.  She cried and begged him several times to take her back but he wouldn’t budge.  She asked him if he had another woman, but he shook his head, explaining the reason for all of this was that he just didn’t love her, they grew apart, and he was tired of being married.  He wanted her gone.  They were living in _his_ house that he had before they were married and he would give her 4 days to get her things and leave. 

For some reason, in this dream, she and Ross did not have children, so she packed up 9 years of her life, and Garrick, and moved to Dwight and Caroline’s, who graciously took her in.  She tossed and turned as the horrible nightmare kept playing itself out. 

At their divorce trial, which was just 5 days short of their 10th anniversary, she cried the entire time.  Ross showed up in clothes she didn’t even recognize, clothes he bought himself since he didn’t need her anymore.  He was smoking and his beard stubble was coming in completely white at his chin.  She sobbed through the entire trial and couldn’t look at him.  He was there by himself, but Demelza’s brother, Drake, had flown all the way from Ohio to sit behind her and her lawyer in the courtroom.  In just a matter of minutes, the years of their life spent together were completely erased.

After the trial, she wasn’t even back “home” at Dwight and Caroline’s when Ross called her, saying he had found some of her belongings around the house that he would bring to her.  When he did, he was so nice to her, almost like his old self.  She waited for and apology or for him to say he was wrong to do this, or couldn’t live without her, but got nothing from him.  She on the other hand, knew her stupid heart would love him until the day she died.  He was walking back to his car to leave her forever when he started making a strange noise.  At first she thought it was part of the dream until she realized it didn’t fit in.  In fact, the noise was so out of place that it woke her up.  She immediately saw the empty spot on Ross’s side of the bed and for a split second thought her dream was real and that he really had left her.  And then she realized he was throwing up, violently, in the attached bathroom.  She got up to go check on him.  

When she entered, she saw him sitting on the floor in front of the toilet, leaning his head on the seat as if he was trying to sleep like that.  She came and sat beside him on the floor, taking the elastic hair tie off her wrist as she gently smoothed his beautiful curls up and away from his face and mouth.  “Thank you,” he managed to say.  She rubbed his back and kissed the top of his head as she asked, “Remember the first time I pulled your hair up for you?”  He briefly smiled before saying, “I’m trying not to because I believe it’s the first time you cooked me meatloaf, and I don’t want to think about _any_ food right now.”  She shook her head, “Don’t think about the food, think about it being the first time we kissed.  Remember?”  He nodded, “I do.  I remember how scared I was, scared I would mess everything up and drive you away.”  “Well, I was scared too,” she told him, “because I was employed for the famous TV and movie star Ross Poldark, and now I was kissing him while working on the clock.  And I was so star-struck.”  He grinned again, “Now you’re sitting on the floor with him, holding his hair out of his own vomit. Are you still star-struck?” and he managed to get a few chuckles out before he grimaced from the pain in his abdomen from the kicks he had sustained during the alley-fight.  

She immediately went into mom-mode, “Do your ribs still hurt you?”  “This puking is making it worse.”  “How many times have you thrown up?”  “Twice.” “Well, Dwight said you might since you had such a blow to the stomach.”  She watched as he laid himself on the floor in front of the toilet.  He looked so uncomfortable and she could see he was shivering.  “Can you go back to bed yet?”  He shook his head no.  She got up and walked to the bedroom closet where she got a folded blanket and came back to sit next to him on the floor.  She rested his head in her lap like a pillow, and covered his body with the blanket.  

She was stroking his head soothingly as she said, “You asked me if I’m still star-struck.  Can I tell you something?”  He nodded his head on her lap while his eyes were closed.  “Don’t get me wrong,” she started out, “it was very exciting at the beginning of our relationship; my heart beating out of control, not being able to think about anything else but you, the constant butterflies in my stomach…but I like what we’ve become.  I like how well I know you and the familiarity and comfortableness of us now.  I like the routines we’ve grown into and how I can finish your sentences.  I know how you take your coffee and what you don’t like on your pizza.  And can I tell you a secret?”  He waited while she tenderly stroked his stubbly cheek with the backs of her fingers.  She leaned in, above his resting head as she told him, “I still get the butterflies. All the time.”  He smiled as he looked up at her, “Even right now?”  “Even right now,” she smiled down at him.

She then told him about the terrible nightmare she had just had.  He listened to the whole thing, then asking her, “I wonder what would make you dream this?  I divorced you _and_ threw you out?  Never!”  She thought, “I think it’s because I’ve been thinking about Lindsay.”  “How is she?” he asked her.  Demelza smiled, “She’s great!  Well, as great as can be expected.  While she was living with her mom rent free, she managed to save up enough money to buy her own house.”  “Wow,” Ross said, “That’s great.  Is it closer to her job?”  “That’s the best part, Ross.  It’s just minutes away.  And it’s such a nice house too.  Perhaps even nicer than the one she lived in with Mark.”  “She deserves it,” Ross told her. 

He rolled his head to the side again, “Thank you for taking care of me.”  She asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the emergency room?  It looks like you’re pretty sick and in pain.”  “No, I’m ok.  I was actually feeling a bit sick even before I picked you up, before the fight,” he admitted.  She looked at him, “That’s odd.  I wonder why.  What did you have for dinner?”  “Oh god, you’re going to make me talk about food, aren’t you?”  “Sorry,” she winced.  He took a breath and told her, “I finished those Japanese leftovers.”  “What Japanese leftovers?” she asked with surprise. “The ones in the fridge.”  “Ross, when did anyone eat Japanese?”  “I don’t know.  I thought maybe you brought it home from lunch with Caroline or something.”  “Ross we haven’t had Japanese in months.  Where were these leftovers?”  “Right in the fridge.  I had to move some stuff to get to them…” “So you’re telling me they were all the way in the back,” she remarked knowingly.  “Yeah, they were wedged back there.”  “Ross those could have been there for a good…” 

He didn’t need to hear the rest as he sat up from her lap, leaning into the toilet and retching.  She got up as she wet a washcloth in the sink, taking her seat again on the floor.  He emptied himself of the last of the ancient leftovers before laying back on the floor again.  She wiped his mouth with the washcloth before rinsing it again in the sink, propping his head back on her lap and placing the damp washcloth on his forehead.  “Someone did this to me when I was nauseous in the hospital,” she explained to him about the cloth, “and it really made me feel better.”  “Yeah, it feels good,” he smiled again with his eyes closed.  Demelza looked up and saw a crying Julia at the door of the bathroom, “Daddy’s making that horrible noise again!”  “Sweetheart, he’s sick.  That’s what he sounds like when he throws up.”  “Well, it’s terrible and loud.  He sounds like a monster!” she sobbed.  Ross didn’t lift his head from Demelza’s lap as he calmly explained, “My tummy just hurts, Jules.  I’ll be ok.  Go put your noise cancelling headphones on.”  “That’s a great idea, Julia,” Demelza seconded Ross’s suggestion, “and on your way out, look at Henry in his bassinet.  Is he still asleep?”  Demelza could hear her saying, “Yeah…”  “Thank you, Jules.  Daddy will be better tomorrow.  Goodnight.”

Ross laid quietly for a minute before he said to his wife, “So, instead of being the brave man that rescued you and got attacked so violently that he got sick, I’ve now become the weird man who ate dodgy leftovers and got food poisoning.”  She was methodically stroking his hair, “You’ll always be the brave man that rescued me. Can I ask you something?”  She felt him nodding.  “Were you sick before we went to sleep?”  “I told you, I haven’t felt good since before I picked you up.  Why?”  “No reason, I was just remembering tonight when I was…servicing…The Captain with my lips and mouth, you asked me to stop, and I thought maybe I was doing something wr…”  “Oh, no, no!” He interrupted her.  “The Captain was overjoyed, believe me!  It was me trying not to hurl chunks and I was in pain.”  “Oh, good!  Well, I mean, not good that you were in pain but good that I…” and she stopped talking,  giving him a worried look that her words weren’t coming out right.  “Demelza, I’m so sorry that boyfriend of yours told you you’re bad at sex.  You do everything so right.  Maybe it’s that familiarity you were talking about, but you know exactly what I want and how I want it.  I have zero complaints, in fact, can I tell you a secret?”  It was her turn to nod.  “I still get the butterflies too.”  She was trying not to grin from ear to ear as her eyes teared up a bit.  He went on, “Every time you look at me from across a crowded room, every time our hands accidentally touch, there the butterflies are.  The other day you handed me Henry’s dirty diaper to throw away and your fingers brushed mine.  I was instantly transported from handling a care package of poo to laying in that bed with you,” as he motioned his head to the bedroom.  “You bring me to my knees.  Literally.”

“Ross, I’m so sorry you’re sick.  It’s all my fault.”  “Darling, how?” and he turned on his back to reach up and touch her cheek.  She instantly put her hand over his to keep him there, “Because I’m a clean freak.  They don’t call me the ‘Clorox Queen’ for nothing, and old leftovers remained in my fridge for months without my knowledge.  What is wrong with me?”  He shifted a bit as he grimaced in pain, “Sweetheart, you’ve picked up a few more hours at the restaurant and you have a brand new baby.  That’s all.”  She smiled as she removed the washcloth from his forehead.  He sat up, “I think I’m ready to try to lay down in bed.”  She stood and extended both her hands to pull him up, walking him over to the bed as she fluffed up his pillows.  She brought him the bathroom trashcan to put next to him as she took her place.  “Goodnight, Ross.  Wake me up if you need me.”  She could hear him already snoring.

    

    

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I threw in Demelza's dream because that's pretty much everything that happened to me in a nutshell. On April 18th, my divorce was final, just 4 days shy of my 23rd anniversary. Still no idea why he wanted this nor did I see any of it coming. But, besides living at my mom's house and crying on her couch, I put my big girl pants on and went out looking at houses all around the area. On April 26th, I became a home owner of a cute little house in the town I work in! I will go from spending 64 minutes in the car each day to 8 minutes. I'm hoping to move in within 30 days and start the next chapter of my life!


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross and Demelza decide who is going to Career Day at the twin's school...

Ross woke up to full sun in the bedroom.  It had to be late.  Turning over, he was horrified to see Demelza still in bed beside him, asleep.  He looked at his cellphone, seeing it was almost 9:30.  “NO NO NO, Demelza!  Get up!  You’ve overslept!”  She was waking up, “Ross, what’s going on?”  “You’re late for the restaurant.  You had to be there at 9.  If you jump in the shower, I’m sure you could be there by 10:30, depending on traffic.  Did you forget to set your alarm?”  He wondered why she was still laying there so calmly and wasn’t making any effort to get up.  “I called off, Ross.  I told them you were sick and that I was keeping an eye on you today.”  “Demelza, I’m fine.  I feel great.”  She shook her head, remembering how sick he had been just last night from either the alley fight or his japanese leftovers, “You don’t even know if you can eat anything and keep it down yet.”  “One step ahead of you, darling.  I got up with Henry around 3 and while I was downstairs, I made me some toast.” He lifted up his tee as he patted his washboard belly, “It’s still in there.”  She laughed, “That’s why Henry really wasn’t interested in eating at 6.  I took him downstairs to call Amanda and tell her I wasn’t coming in, and I made him a bottle that he then refused.”  “Well, seriously, I’m fine,” he smiled at her, “and it’s Saturday, so it’s not like I have to take the twins to school. Where are they, in fact?” “Oh, I heard cereal bowls and spoons about an hour ago.  I’m sure they’re parked in front of the TV.” He nodded and smiled, “Go!”  She kissed him on the cheek before she jumped up to shower.  He was starting to get up when he saw her head peek around the corner, “Ross, I put a list of things I need help with on the island last night before I knew you were sick.  I certainly don’t expect you to do any of that today.  Just ignore it, ok?”  He reassured her again, “Sweetheart, I’m _fine_.  I’ll get it all done today.”

Jeremy walked in the kitchen to see his father with a piece of paper in his hands.  “What’cha doing?” he asked Ross.  “Reading this ‘Honey-Do’ list mommy left me.” “Honey-Do” list?”  “Yeah, that’s what you call a list of things mommy needs help with.”  “Like what?” Jeremy asked him.  “Well,” Ross said, staring at the list again, “It looks like the biggest job is taking down Henry’s bassinet, and bringing up your crib from the basement.”  “OOOOOOOO, the basement!” Jeremy said excitedly, “Can I go down there with you?”  Ross looked at him, blinking several times before saying, “It’s scary down there, Jare.  Even I don’t like going there.”  Ross and Demelza had always said that one day they would finish their basement, turning it into a playroom for the kids, or a man-cave for Ross, or a crafting room for Demelza, but they had never gotten around to it, and it served as a place to stack items they were no longer using, or hadn’t used yet.

Ross peeked in the family room at Julia who was sitting on her knees in front of the coffee table as she colored in her coloring book.  “Jare and I are going down in the basement, princess.  Do you think you can keep an eye on Henry for a minute?”  She glanced over at her baby brother, still asleep in his rocker- napper, “Sure,” and Ross took his son by the hand and helped him down the steep and dark stairs.

“What is all this?” Jeremy asked about the piles of things.  Ross surveyed the stacks, “Well, most of it is Julia’s baby stuff, like, look at this here,” and he pointed to her crib and highchair, all unbuilt and placed nicely in their original boxes.  “Why is this all down here?” Jeremy asked.  “Because Henry is a boy and can use your things.  Mommy and I kept all of this because we were hoping to have another child, hopefully a girl, but Henry is going to be our last.  We really should gather up these things and take them to the thrift store.”  Jeremy opened storage containers and found Julia’s baby clothes.  Another had baby shoes and socks.  A stroller for twin babies was folded up neatly.  Ross was sorting through all the boxes when he found what he came down there for, Jeremy’s crib.  “Will you help me put this together, Jare?”  “Yeah, but why do you have to?”  “Well, because Henry is big enough that he is rolling over by himself and his bassinet is getting pretty crowded.  Mommy wants to make sure he sleeps on his back and has enough room.”

As Ross was carrying the box upstairs, Jeremy paused, “Is that a tent?” pointing to the box with the camping picture on it.  Ross chuckled, “Yes, from that _one_ time mommy and I went camping.  Don’t let her tell you she’s a tomboy and grew up with all brothers.  She’s a bit high-maintenance.  Tent camping _was not_ her style.”  “Can we set up the tent in the back yard when we’re done with the crib?”  Ross studied his son’s face, not wanting to disappoint him, “Son, the Santa Ana’s have really kicked up.  I’m afraid it’s too windy.”  Jeremy was beside himself, “Please, please, please, daddy!  I never knew we had a tent!  It would be so much fun!"

Upstairs, Jeremy quickly told his sister who joined in with the “please, please, please” conversation about the tent. She continued to watch Henry as the two “men” went out back, trying in vain to keep the tent sturdy in the gale-force winds.  “I have an idea,” Ross said with a twinkle in his eye.

Demelza was pulling into the garage in her new Cadillac Escalade.  She was aghast when Ross had brought it home for her, explaining that he had traded in her van and that this would be _her_ vehicle.  It was much too fancy and pretentious for her liking, but once she got behind the wheel, she knew she could get used to it.  She had hardly opened her door when she heard the screams from the house.  They sounded like happy, playful noises, she hoped.  Lately, Jeremy and Julia were fighting a lot more, resulting in a lot of arguing, tears, and time-outs at the Poldark house.  Demelza quickly opened the door to see her husband chasing the children all over the family room as the children shrieked and ran from him.  He had his hands held out in front of him like claws and kept saying “Rawwwwwrrrr” as he chased them.  Henry was cooing and gurgling from his bouncy seat as he watched them.  Demelza also saw the two expertly build tents that were constructed with kitchen island stools and bedsheets.

“What is going on in here?”  Demelza asked her family who immediately stopped running to look at her.  Julia was the first to speak, “Oh, we’re camping in Colorado and daddy is the bear who is attacking us.”  Ross gave her more claw hands as he “rawwwwwrrr”ed one more time.  “Why Colorado?”  Demelza asked.  “Because it was my turn to pick and that's where I've always wanted to go,” Jeremy explained.  Ross smiled, “Julia, tell mommy where you wanted to camp.”  “Ireland,” Julia smiled and Ross beamed, knowing that their kids had previously not been that interested in going there.

Julia was taking Demelza’s hand as she led her over to a tent, “Daddy said he would sleep here with me and Jare tonight.  Will you too?”  “Of course I will.”  Demelza was surveying the situation, asking, “Why are there two tents?  Is one just for daddy and me?”  Ross looked at his daughter, “Tell mommy what the other tent is for.”  Julia hung her head a bit, “A time-out tent.”  Ross was nodding, “And who got sent there?”  Demelza looked from her daughter to her son.  “I did.” Julia confessed.  “Tell mommy why,”  Ross was saying.  “I called Jeremy a 'poopy-butt.'”  “Again?”  Demelza said with frustration.  “How many times do we…”  “I know,” Julia interrupted her.  Demelza walked over to the couch to sit before she was met with screams of, “You can’t sit there!  What is she doing?!”  Ross chuckled, “Demelza, you’re sitting in the white-water rapids.  You’re getting all wet.  That’s where we’ve parked our boats for rafting.”  She stood up quickly, “Oh, sorry.”  Looking over at Ross’s recliner, she asked, “What’s that?  A canyon?”  They looked at her like she was crazy, “No, that’s daddy’s recliner,” Jeremy stated drily.  Demelza picked up Henry and sat down with him to watch the rest of the festivities.

Ross had made a massive tent, and that evening, all five Poldarks were snuggled in under the canopy of several king sized sheets.  They had even rolled Henry’s bassinet in and set him up at their feet.  Both Jeremy and Julia were snuggled in between their parents.  Demelza was almost asleep when her daughter started screaming and crying, “Mommy!  Make him stop!”  Demelza and Ross both opened their eyes to see Jeremy with his leg stretched across Julia’s torso, his foot under her nose.  “His feet smell sooooooo bad!” she sobbed.  Demelza was the first to react, “Jeremy, do you need to go to the time-out tent?  Stop tormenting your sister with those feet that smell as bad as your father’s!”  “Hey!” Ross shouted indignantly but amused as he knew it was true.  “Julia,” Ross said, “Go sleep on the other side of mommy so Jeremy can’t bother you, ok?”  She got up and laid to Demelza’s left.

Everyone was snuggling in again, when both Ross and Demelza’s phone got a text message.  Demelza got there first.  “Finally!” she shouted exuberantly.  “What?” Ross asked, not even getting his phone out as he knew his wife would fill him in.  “I told the twin’s teacher to stop sending home paper notes that the students forget about and start text messaging important announcements directly to the parents.  It appears they took me up on that because we just got a message that in two weeks is the annual Career Day.”  Ross was blinking at her, “Well, that sounds like something you should do.  Who wouldn’t want to hear about an award winning chef?”  “Not so fast, Ross Poldark.  I think everyone would be totally intrigued about what it’s like to be an actor.”  Ross was grimacing at the thought of having to do it.  He looked down at his sleeping children, making sure they couldn’t hear the horrible thing he was about to say, “Babe, I just don’t want to do it.”  She also glanced over, also making sure they were asleep, “I think I would rather gouge my eyes out.  So there’s only one way to settle this.”  

She sat up as Ross did too, immediately putting her right fist on the palm of her left hand.  “Rock, paper, scissors,” she told him, “best two out of three and the winner gets to stay home.  Ready?”  “Oh, _hell_ yeah!”  Ross said confidently.  Their first “one, two, three, shoot!” yielded Demelza with “rock” and Ross with “scissors.”  “YEAH!” she celebrated her win by taking her fist and crashing into his scissors.  The next turn revealed Ross with the same scissors but Demelza with paper.  “Excuse me!” Ross said, as his fingers made cutting movements over her hand.  It was one each.  Demelza knew her husband.  She knew what he was going to do.  It was so easy.  On their last, “one, two, three, shoot!”  she put out paper, because just as she expected, Ross led with rock.  Her face instantly brightened as his wrinkled in pain.  She took her hand and wrapped her paper around his rock.  They laid back down, “GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!” Ross exclaimed in frustration as Demelza giggled.

Jeremy woke up, “Can you guys quit making noise?  I can’t sleep!”  Demelza turned to him, “Sorry sweetie!” but Ross told him, “I still want to talk to mommy, son.  Why don’t you go sleep on the other side mommy?”  Jeremy looked over, “Because Julia is there.  There’s no room.”  “Well, maybe mommy will scoot really close to me to make room for you,” as he winked at his wife.  She did, and Jeremy immediately took the empty spot she had left.  Ross picked up in the conversation where they left off. “Come on, darling.  Go to Career Day.  Please?” and he gave her the most adorable puppy eyes and pouty lips.  She kissed him before telling him, “Ain’t. Gonna. Happen!”  He was groaning.  “I thought you lived for stuff like this, Ross!  Going in your period drama garb?  Everyone will love it!  The teachers, I’m sure, will ask you lots of questions.”  He was still groaning as he pretended to sulk, flipping over to give her his back as he feigned sleep.  “Good night, Ross.”  “Hmmmpph,” was all she got in return.

She gazed up at the ceiling of their bed-chamber, “Ross, you’re such a good father.  This tent is amazing.  I know the kids really appreciate it.” She too got comfy and was almost asleep when she felt a weight on her chest.  Something was almost pushing into her nostril.  Just like Jeremy, Ross had playfully extended his leg across her chest, his foot below her nose.  She didn’t even open her eyes, “Ross, I really hope that’s your foot and not something else.”  He was laughing, “Demelza, I’m all the way over here.  The Captain is not that tall.  If he was, I’d be hanging to my knees.” He was nearing himself to her, as he whispered in her ear, “I think I need to go to the time-out tent, Demelza.  Let me show you the real reason I built it.”  “Ross!”  He was breathing heavy in her ear, warm pants of air on her neck as The Captain was like a rock, pushing into her thigh. “I’ve been bad, darling. I deserve a punishment.”  “My god, Ross!  Your children are right there,” she motioned with her head.  “But they’re not in the time-out tent.”  “Not a good idea, Ross.”  “Well, flip over, darling.  Put your back to them.  I can kiss you oh so quietly.”  She did.  As he kissed her, he stopped and said, “Look, with my head turned this way, I can open an eye and see if they have woken up.”  “Good,” she smiled. “I’ll pinch you when I think you should check.”  They started out slow.  Ross kissed her tenderly but soon she felt his tongue begin to probe her mouth.  She saw him stop to check as he reported between nips of her neck, “Still asleep.”  He kissed her again, this time opening his mouth wider as she received more of his tongue.  Their breathing was getting heavy as she felt his hand under her shirt start to caress a breast.  It was really escalating.  She pinched him softly on his ribs.  He didn’t stop.  In fact, he was poking her still clothed mound in the right places with his rock hard manhood.  Her back was turned.  She had no idea what her children were seeing.  She pinched him again, a little harder than she needed to.  “Owww!  God, Demelza!” he protested in pain.  Julia woke up, “Why are you shouting, daddy?  What time is it?”  “Go back to sleep, sweetie.  Daddy just had a bad dream,” he said loud enough for her to hear and then added softly so only Demelza could, “that mommy was pinching the shit out of me.”  He lifted his shirt to reveal the red mark.  “Well, you weren’t doing your job,” she scolded and turned over to face her children.  Ross immediately cuddled up to her, spooning her back.  “Goodnight, Ross.  I’ll let them know tomorrow that you’re coming to Career Day.”  “Arrrrrgghhhhh.”

   


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross and Demelza say goodbye to a trusted friend...

In just a little over three weeks, the Poldarks were moving to New York City.  Demelza had already started packing things, and boxes could be found on the floor of almost every room in the house.  They were just waiting for Career Day to be over at the twins’ school, and for Christmas break to come and go before they left.  Ross had already found and ordered his annual Christmas pajamas for everyone, including this year, four month old baby Henry, and of course Garrick as well.

After Demelza dropped the twins off at school she arrived at the restaurant for the day, giving them her three week notice as everyone wished her well, and gave her recommendations on which restaurants she should go eat at or even apply for a job if she wanted to.  She was just beginning to get her station ready for the day when her cellphone rang.  It was her husband.  “Hello?” she said as she was organizing her knives.  “Demelza, it’s Ross.”  She panicked.  When did he ever announce his name?  Of course it was Ross.  Who else would it be? Why would he have to say it?  She knew something was gravely wrong.  “My god, Ross!  What’s going on?”  He paused and took a breath before he said, “I’m at the vet clinic.  It’s Garrick.  If you can get away, I think you should come now.”  She asked again, “What’s going on?”  “No one’s sure yet, darling, but it’s bad.  I think you need to prepare yourself for…”  “I’m on my way,” she interrupted him.

When she got there, Ross was standing in a room, Garrick strapped to a gurney that was resting on an examination table.  Even though the old dog was sick and in pain, he wagged his tail at the sight of Demelza.  “Oh, sweet boy…” Demelza said as she smoothed her faithful companion’s head and kissed him.  She looked to her husband for answers.  He took her hand as he explained to her, “They think he’s had a stroke.  Some paralysis has set in and he’s not able to walk.  He was fine this morning.  It was all very sudden…”  

Dr. Sarah, their trusted vet for the last almost eleven years walked into the room.  Demelza bombarded her with questions like, “He will get better, right?”  She didn’t need to hear the answer when she saw the look on Sarah’s face.  Demelza quickly turned to her husband, who closed his eyes and nodded, “It’s time.”  “Would you like to be here with him or do you want to leave?” the doctor asked them.  Demelza again looked from one face to another and then down at Garrick, “No, I’ll hold him through it all.”  Ross would never tell his wife this, but he was glad she volunteered as he wasn’t sure he could do it.  Dr. Sarah rolled Garrick out of the room as Demelza took her place next to Ross on the bench.

He took her hand as he enlaced his fingers with hers, covering their joined hands with his other.  Demelza softly began to cry, “We were taking him to New York with us.  He was going to love it.  We chose the penthouse over the other places, even though it was more expensive, because of the roof-top yard.”  Ross was nodding, “He was a member of the family.  We considered his needs as much as anyone else’s.”  

They both looked up as Dr. Sarah wheeled Garrick back into the room, the blue bandage wrapped around his arm to keep the port secure.  Demelza took her spot by the dog, and Ross stood next to her with his hand on her back.  A few minutes later it was all over, and they were left in the room alone to say their final goodbyes.  Demelza gave Garrick one final kiss, and the two got into their cars.  Demelza went back to the restaurant but she was too saddened to work and spent most of the day crying in the back storage room.  Ross went home, but the silence in the house was almost more deafening than the barks of their dog had been.  He wasn’t surprised when Demelza walked into the kitchen, much earlier than he had expected.  

Together they picked up the twins from school, Jeremy and Julia elated and surprised to see their mother.  “We didn’t know you were going to come!  Didn’t you work today?”  Demelza smiled her best smile, telling them she was sent home early.  Both she and Ross had sat at the kitchen island for almost an hour, practicing and rehearsing what they were going to say to the children when they told them so as not to over-upset them.  When they pulled in the garage and Jeremy noticed Garrick wasn’t barking to announce their arrival, Ross shut off the motor and began talking.  The twins were familiar with Horace, the beloved pug of Dwight and Caroline.  When he died, Ross had explained that sometimes dogs fall asleep and never wake up again.  That’s what happened to Garrick, just like Horace.  Of course, the children were upset, Julia more than Jeremy as she had had a special relationship with the dog, always letting him sleep on her bed during the night.  Henry took one listen to her wails and joined in, prompting Jeremy to say, “Even HP is upset.” Soon the tears waned, and the family dusted themselves off and went inside to go about their evening.

That night, Ross rolled over and held Demelza when he heard her crying.  “Shhhhh,” he said from behind as he gently stroked her hair and kissed her head.  “I miss him,” she told him.  “I miss him so badly.  What I wouldn’t give to smell his stinky breath filling this room as he panted on his dog bed,” and she pointed to the over-sized pillow still on the floor.  Ross said to her, “You were such a great dog-mom.  Remember when you bought that doggy toothbrush and tooth paste when Dr. Sarah said his teeth were starting to get tartar build-up?  You brushed three people’s teeth every night, all lined up: your daughter, your son, and your four-legged son.  Remember?”  He could tell she was smiling.  He continued, “He had a great life, darling.  Some dogs are outside all the time, tied out to the back of their doghouses.  Not Garrick.  He slept on the couch like a king, had more toys than he could play with, kids that played with him…” “Remember when Julia painted his nails?”  Demelza interrupted him as they both chuckled.  “See, Demelza, he had a great life.  And he didn’t suffer.  He was only sick for a few hours today.” 

She nodded, and Ross scooted closer to her to envelope her in his arms.  She noted, “What, no Captain?” when she realized Ross wasn’t even turned on to be this close to her.  His answer was, “He’s an idiot, sweetheart, but he’s not a jerk.  You need to just rest and try to feel better.  I’ll hold you until you fall asleep.  I’ll hold you all night if you want me to.”  She moved his hand up to her breast as he whispered in her ear, “You know The Captain has no self-control.  Sweetheart, get some sleep because we are going to have to rest up for how many times Julia is going to ask us for a puppy.”  Demelza giggled, “Well, we can’t do anything until we get back from New York.”

A week later, Garrick’s nose and paw print arrived in the mail as a keepsake memento. Ross said to her, “See?  You can still take him with us to the penthouse.”  She gave him a lukewarm grin and he was instantly glad that he had followed through with his plans for something that he hoped would make her smile.  

Two days later, Demelza was sitting in bed, applying lotion to her hands and arms before sleep when Ross walked in and announced, “I have a surprise for you.”  “A surprise?  Why?  It’s not my birthday.  Should I know what today is?”  “Just stay here,” and he left the room only to come back with a giant package wrapped in brown paper.  Demelza noted right away that it looked like a painting but asked him, “What’s this?”  “Open it,” and he sat beside her in the bed.  She rubbed her hands again, trying to get her lotion-y hands ready to open the gift.  “Here, let me,” and Ross took it from her.  She rested her chin on his shoulder as he gently tore the paper, revealing that it indeed was a painting.  Demelza gasped when she saw it.  It was a perfect representation of her beloved, Garrick.  “Ross…how…”  “Do you like it?” he asked her.  “Like it?  I _love_ it, babe.  Where did you get this?”  “My art instructor painted it for you.”  “The one in Ireland?”  “Yes, I sent her a picture and she did this.  Do you think you’d be able to find a nice place for this in the penthouse?”  She beamed, “Oh, Ross, I _know_ I can.  It really feels like we’re bringing Garrick after all.”  She kissed him as she put her hand on the side of his face, cupping his beautiful curls. He didn’t even stop kissing her as he reached his hand down from the bed, gently leaning the painting on the floor against the bed.  She wrapped her arms around his neck as he turned and tucked her under his body.  She broke their kiss to say, “Well, there’s The Captain…”

    

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After all the difficult things I've been through lately, last Sunday I lost my beloved Ellie. She was a black lab and was going to be 10 years old this summer. I was so hoping to take her on my adventure of my new house and even chose it based on her. She had leg and joint problems, so I made sure it was a one story house. The steps outside to the yard were not steep, and I made sure there was a nice, big yard for her to enjoy. This Tuesday I was fencing that yard in for her and my other dog's safety. I just bought a couch and sat on every one, making sure it was low enough for her to jump on. She was just a month shy of being able to move with me. Fortunately, someone at my job painted me a lovely painting of her that I will be able to take with me instead. My heart is so broken from my lost marriage, lost life, lost house, and now this. I even called "someone" for help to put her in the car when she couldn't walk, and my call and text was never returned. Even a week later. I held my brave girl until I felt her final breath. I so hope good things will be happening soon.


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Career Day at the twins' school, and Demelza has some plans for Ross...

As Demelza was coming down the stairs to get the twins off to school, she was met with the sight of 18th century Ross standing in her kitchen, drumming his fingers on the countertop as he waited for the Keurig to dispense his morning coffee.Henry was perched on his hip and she took her son in her arms. “I don’t believe they had such things in your day, Captain Poldark,” she playfully told him as she ran a hand across the fabric of his britches that covered his butt cheeks.“Woo!” he reacted as he reflexively moved his rear from her playful touch, adding, “Demelza, I’m sure they had babies back then!”She giggled, “No, you know I mean the coffee machine, smart aleck!”He laughed, “They also didn’t have indoor plumbing and I just took a sh…” The entire room, including Jeremy and Julia, froze, waiting to see if he was going to finish his sentence.Ross cleared his throat and continued, “and I just dropped the deuce in our bathroom.”Jeremy was sent into hysterics at his father’s bathroom humor that he not only adored, but shared.“Pinch a loaf!” Jeremy added as Ross guffawed and the two high-fived at their wit.“Gentleman!” Demelza announced, rolling her eyes, looking at Julia and asking, “Why do men find this funny?Are you laughing?” as her daughter shook her head no.She turned to her infant son, still in her arms, “I’m sure you’re going to join them soon enough, aren’t you?” and she rolled her eyes again.

Ross was sipping his coffee as she asked him, “Are you driving the twins to school in that?”He chuckled, “Yes…Well, I’m not going to put the tricorn on until I get there.The drivers in the other cars will be able to admire my neck-cloth,” he said of his puffy, white shirt he was already wearing under his blue waist-coat.Demelza put Henry in his bouncy seat as she returned to where Ross was standing, straightening and retying the fabric in a neater knot.“Thank you, darling,” he practically whispered as he gave her slow, tender kisses on her cheek while she worked the fabric.He gave her a bigger kiss on the lips when she was done.It was turning into a long, and very romantic kiss and the twins were shouting from the island, “We’re eating!Do you mind!Seriously!”They had finally reached the age where their parents affection made them uncomfortable.

Ross and Demelza broke apart as he told her, “We may be a little late after school today.I have to drop these costume pieces back at wardrobe.”She nodded, “No problem.No need to hurry.Henry and I will be here no matter what time you get home.”Ross looked over at the twins, noting they were done with their oatmeal and putting their backpacks on. “I’m kissing mommy goodbye, if that’s ok with you,” he said with a goodnatured sarcasm to his voice.He pecked her chastely on the cheek and was heading towards the door behind his children when Demelza yelled, “Ross!”He turned around as she held up his hat, still on the island, “Don’t forget your tricorn.”He kissed her again and they were gone.

Demelza and Henry went about their usual day of cleaning and laundry.She packed him up in his carseat and they went to Whole Foods for groceries.She even snuck in a nap with him before she got up to cook dinner.All day she kept glancing at the time, wondering how Ross was doing since he originally had not been excited about making a presentation to a bunch of 7 year olds about being an actor.She wasn’t worried when she saw how late it was and they still weren’t home, as he had told her about their after-school errands.She was surprised when she saw the three of them walking into her kitchen around 4, Ross still in his costume. “Weren’t you taking your clothes back?” she asked.“Nope, no time,” he said shaking his head.“Then why are you guys so late?”“Daddy was signing a bunch of autographs!” Julia explained.

Ross was stripping down to the athletic shorts that he had on under everything, folding his clothes up and stacking them on the kitchen island.Demelza didn’t complain about him changing in the kitchen as she knew he couldn’t wait to shed the scratchy, wool pants and jacket.“I’ll just leave this here to remind me to call and take them back tomorrow, ok?” as Demelza nodded that it was.He was bare chested as he said, “I’ll go up and put a t-shirt on,” and then turned to his kids, “Hey, guys, go wash up for dinner.”Demelza watched as the three of them went up the stairs.Henry was in his highchair, so Demelza went back to the stove to stir her marinara sauce for the evening’s pasta.She didn’t realize anyone was in the kitchen until she heard Julia saying, “Mommy!Look!”She turned around to see Julia standing next to her baby brother who was now sporting Ross’s tricorn.It was the cutest thing she had ever seen.She almost had tears in her eyes as she told Julia, “Go upstairs and get daddy.”“For what?” Ross said as he was entering the kitchen.“Look at your son,” she instructed him.By now, the tricorn had fallen over one of Henry’s eyes, causing him to look more like a pirate. Ross was chuckling, “Look at you, little man!” and picked him up to take in his arms, successfully keeping the hat on his head.

Henry began to fuss at the ancient hat still on his head and began to cry.Ross took itoff, confessing to his son, “That’s exactly how I feel when I have to wear it, Henry!Who knew it would become my trademark!”As Demelza was at the stove, she said to Ross, “He looked exactly like you in that tricorn.Now we all know what you would’ve looked like at 4 months.”Ross was nearing his wife as he heard Julia behind them saying, “Oh no, you’re not going to kiss again are you?!”Ross handed Henry to Demelza as he stated, “The only one getting kissed is you, Julia!” and he chased her around the kitchen, almost knocking over Jeremy who had come down for dinner.

The five Poldarks congregated at the kitchen island where the Career Day conversation carried over dinner.“So, did people like daddy’s presentation?” Demelza was asking.“Oh, yeah…” Julia told her.“Who else presented?” Demelza asked, knowing there were two parents on each day.“Just daddy,” Jeremy told her.“The whole time?” she quickly asked and looked at Ross who was nodding with his eyes closed, indicating the torture of the entire day.“There were so many people there,” Julia told her, “we didn’t even know who they were.All standing in the back of the classroom.I guess they were other teachers from different schools.”“Did other presenters have this?”Again, Jeremy told her, “Just daddy.”“They asked him a bunch of questions.”“Like what?” she asked her children.Jeremy was the first to speak, “Like why he doesn’t do special meaty…”“Special meaty?” Demelza was confused.“You know, mommy, like facebook, instagram…”“Oh, of course,” and she made a mental note to help him with the correct term later.“They asked him about working in the field with tools…” “Scything,” Julia clarified.Jeremy continued, “And if he was going to do some sort of spy movie.”Demelza winced in sympathy for Ross, “All your favorite topics.”All he could do was nod.

He turned to his son, “When I got hot and took off my jacket and hat, why did the teachers take them to the back room?”Jeremy told him, “They said they were going to fold everything and carefully put them in a bag so they wouldn’t get ruined.But when I walked past that room to go to the bathroom, that wasn’t what they were doing.”“What did you see?” Demelza asked him.“All the teachers were passing daddy’s jacket around and smelling it for some reason.They were even putting it on and getting pictures.Mr. Johns was wearing daddy’s hat and said he had a calendar of daddy on his refrigerator.” Demelza almost spit out her food as she tried not to laugh.“Well, it sounds like Career Day was a success,” smiling gratefully at her husband for doing this.

“So, are you both ready for Job Shadowing?”Ross asked his children.“Isn’t that the next part of this project?”The twins nodded as Jeremy told him, “I’m spending the day with Uncle Dwight since I want to be a surgeon.”Ross smiled, “That’s great, Jare!What about you, Julia?Are you following mommy around?”“Oh, no!” Julia shook her head violently, “I don’t want to be a chef.I want to give the news on national TV like Kate Snow!” Demelza turned to her husband, “She’ll be spending the day at the local TV station, watching them put together the day’s news for broadcasting.”“Well, I think you would be perfect for that job, princess,” Ross told his daughter.

That evening, Ross and Demelza sat on the sofa together as they watched TV.Ross was completely zoned out as he stared blankly at the screen.Demelza turned to look at him, but he didn’t meet her gaze.She glanced down at Henry in her arms, noting he was sound asleep after his bottle.The twins had long ago crashed and gone to bed.She took a finger of her free hand and moved a tendril of Ross’s hair to rest behind his ear.“Hi,” he finally looked over at her.She laid her head on his shoulder as they sat there quietly.“I wasn’t expecting your costume to still be here tonight, Ross.”“Does it bother you that it’s on the island?I can move it,” he said almost nervously.“I just wanted it there to remind me to call.”She sat up and smiled at him, he thought it looked almost seductively, “It doesn’t _bother_ me at all.In fact, maybe you could put it on.”“Put it on?” he asked confused until she kissed his cheek.“Oh! Put it on!Ok.”He was exiting the room, rather quickly she noted, when she told him, “I’ll give you a minute before I come up.”

She stopped hearing the footsteps above her and knew he was ready.She walked Henry upstairs where she gently laid him down in his crib. Then she turned around and saw her husband in all his 18th century glory.He held his arms out, palms up, as if he were saying, “Ta - Da!”She approached him slowly and kissed him on the jawline.He whispered in her ear, “What comes next in your fantasy?Perhaps you should lead the way.”

She stepped back and with her best acting skills said, “Ross, I’ve been so busy working in the barn all day. Then I went swimming in the sea.My dress is a mess,” and he watched her shed her t-shirt and jeans, dropping them onto the floor as she maintained eye contact with him.“Now my corset and stays are too tight,” and she undid her bra and removed her panties, standing naked in front of him, her red curls spilling down onto her breasts.She bent down to pick up her clothes, turning momentarily to bend across the footboard, putting the items on the bed. 

She was taking a little longer than need be, her bare back and rear just inches in front of her husband.He walked up behind her, whispering, “Demelza, can I touch you?”She got chills when she saw how well he was playing along with his role.The man who had made love to her for 9 years of their marriage was now acting as if he were a stranger and it was their first time.“Yes…please…” was her reply.She felt his warm hands on her bare hips.She leaned her body against his chest, turning her head to the side, granting him more access to her neck to kiss.His hands were then on her stomach as they smoothed up to her breasts.Still standing behind her, he gently maneuvered her head so his lips could meet hers.They kissed and she felt him slip her a bit of tongue, which immediately sent messages to her womanhood as it began to pulse for his contact. 

He was whispering, “Help me get these clothes off.”He wasn’t sure he heard her right when she whispered back, “They stay on.”“What?”he asked as his hands were doing all sorts of things to her breasts.Small pants were escaping her lips as she repeated, “Your clothes stay on.”He spun her around to search her eyes for answers as he asked,“All of them?”“Well, this can come off,” and she loosened his neck sash, causing his white, billowy shirt to open, revealing his soft black chest hair underneath. 

When she was in the bedroom with her husband, he was just Ross to her.She didn’t think of him as an international sex-symbol or someone people desired or talked about on the internet.He was just Ross.But tonight, in his costume, she was aware of how many people would love to trade places with her, to be able to put their hands on his beautiful chest, like she was doing now, replacing her fingers with her ruby, red lips.She was kissing a line on his exposed skin.He was still confused.“Sweetheart, it’s your fantasy, but wouldn’t my pants need to come off? I mean, to do this right and all?” he asked her. “No, in my fantasy this is what happens…” and she reached down and undid the buttons on each side of the front panel of his pants.The placard fell open, revealing his very erect and very hard manhood, standing at attention between them.“Good boy,” she said when she saw he had chosen not to wear anything under his trousers.She took him into her hand, gently squeezing and stroking him and he moaned into her mouth as they kissed.He separated from her long enough to say, “I like your fantasies.” She smiled at him, “We’re just getting started.”

She then told him, “My back hurts so much from working around…what is your house called?” She bent herself forward on the footboardof their California king bed, her full, round, ivory cheeks in front of him as he gulped and said with a hoarse voice, “Nampara…”“Right, Nampara.I’m just going to stretch out over this four poster bed…” She heard him exclaim, “Good lord!I’m standing and taking you from behind?”She seductively widened her stance to make it crystal clear that he was.He neared her and moved her hair away from her neck as he kissed her shoulder. He whispered in her ear, “I am so turned on, Demelza.”His hands traveled down to the ivory skin of her bum as The Captain quickly found her welcoming core.He began his thrusting and she felt the scratchy fabric of his trousers on the backs of her thighs.As he continued kissing her neck, he felt her head turn to get a glimpse in her dressing mirror, that was perfectly lined up to catch where they were standing.“Do you like what you see?” he asked as he was almost completely pulling out before plunging again into her warmth, putting on a show for her to see. 

His hands were around her middle as he gently brought her body up and back to rest against his.She reached her hands behind her, putting her fingers in his hair, careful not to disturb his tricorn that he was still wearing to indulge her.With her arms above her head, he had complete access to cup her full and beautiful breasts.He was giving her slower and more determined thrusts as they stood together, and the sensations were absolutely blissful for both.“Ross…”“God, yes, darling… say my name.Say it again.”“No, Ross.I forgot to lock the door.”He was still nibbling her neck as he moved in and out, “I always lock the door, sweetheart.Relax.”She was covering his hands on her breasts now, “No, I got to the room last and I had Henry in my arms.I know I didn’t lock the door.”Ross turned his head to the side to look in the mirror, “But look at us, darling.Look how beautiful this looks.And, The Captain is almost to his magic moment.Don’t make him stop now.”She wasn’t backing down, “Ross, exactly.Look at us.I don’t think either of us could make enough money to afford the therapy our children would need if they saw you in that get-up banging the hell out of their mother from behind.” “Fair enough,” and she felt him withdraw as he ran to the door, only to whine, “It _was_ locked, Demelza!”“Well,” she said almost apologetically, “come back here for part two.”

He was walking towards her, big grin on his face, “How is part two different?”“Well, for one thing, you get to take all this off.”“Thank god,” he sighed with relief as she helped him out of his costume.He kissed her on the lips as he asked, “Now what?”“Lay on your back,” she instructed him.He did what he was told, realizing his hat was still on as he removed it quickly before she straddled him, slowly lowering herself onto him until he was deep inside.She then began the hip gyrations that he adored.“Darling…” he exclaimed as he grabbed her by the hips to steady them.She continued the movements as he asked her, “Would you consider indulging me in one of my fantasies?"“Yesssssss,” she practically hissed.He reached over for his tricorn that was resting on the bed next to them, and put it on her head.She winked at him as she focused her attention back to him.Her hands were on his chest as she steadied herself for her rise and fall, but soon he saw her sitting straight up, almost arching her back.He bent his legs up, giving her something to lean on as her arms went up, her fingers ruffling through her own auburn hair.Her brow was furrowed, “Ross…” He knew she was at her moment.Soon, a smile was escaping her lips as she told him, “I’m soaring.”He took over to quicken the pace, bringing him to his own release.

He was laying beside her when he rolled over to tell her, “You know, I’ll never think of my costume the same again.Why didn’t you tell me about these fantasies sooner?”She turned to look at him, putting a hand on his stubbly cheek, “Because you are always so worked up that people like your characters more than the real you.I didn’t want you to think this is what was happening here.”He kissed her in the center of her forehead, “I know you love _me_ , darling,” and he brought her to his chest to snuggle.They laid like that for a few seconds before there was a knock at the door.“What’s wrong?”Demelza called out.“Mommy?Jeremy and I have questions about New York.Can we come in?”Ross was reaching for his tricorn to shove under their bed as well as the rest of his outfit, “Just a second, guys.It’s Friday so it’s laundry night.Mommy and I couldn’t find clean clothes so we went to bed naked.”Both twins could be heard saying things from the hall like, “I thought you said Wednesday was laundry night,” or “Why don’t you ever check your dressers?I bet they’re full of clothes.” Ross and Demelza had just finished throwing something on as he opened the door, both children running in and taking their spot on the bed.Ross took his place with his family as Demelza began asking, “Ok, guys, fire away.What are your questions about New York?”Jeremy was the first to speak, “Daddy why is your hat under the bed?” as Demelza snorted.

        

   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because we all have fantasies of the tricorn...
> 
> I hope this wasn't smut...Married, sexy, romantic love, right?
> 
> I almost wasn't able to post tonight. After EVERYTHING that's happened: my marriage, my dog dying... Thursday night I got hit with either a horrible flu or food poisoning. Never been so sick! Still not quite 100%. Sometimes I just have to laugh at my life here recently!


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week in the life of the Poldark's that leads up to a very important event...

 

The Poldark’s were moving to New York in just two weeks.Surprisingly enough, the week started out with a bit of a rough patch for Ross and Demelza.Late afternoon on Monday, Demelza called Ross in a panic, starting right in as soon as he answered his phone, “Ross, no one showed up for me to be able to leave the restaurant.I’m the only one in the kitchen with Lindsay.I’m not going to be able to pick the kids up.Any way you can?”Ross was at the LA rehearsals for his New York play, but when you’re the star of the show, they give you special allowances, and he knew he would be able to leave early.“Sure, darling, no worries.I’ll get Julia at dance.I can leave now.I’ll swing around and get Henry at day care.Where’s Jeremy?At swimming?Ok.No problem.”Demelza breathed a sigh of relief, “Thank you, Ross.You’re my knight in shining armor.”She heard him chuckling as they hung up their phones.

Demelza’s replacement ended up being just a few minutes late, and she walked into the kitchen of her own house not long after Ross and the kids did.She was putting her things on the island as she shouted out, “Anybody home?”“Up here!” she heard all three voices announce in unison.Surveying the stove, she saw Ross hadn’t started dinner yet, and began getting out pots and pans to do so.She heard her husband come down the stairs and pull out a chair at the island behind her.He was going through the pile of mail he brought in and was unusually quiet.“How was your day?” she asked, still at the stove, back turned to him.“Mmmmmm,” was the gruff answer she got, which was weird since Ross was never a man for one word answers.She walked over to where he sat, putting her arms out, and aiming her lips for his cheek when he moved to dodge her.“Did you just move away from my kiss?” she asked with surprise.“Maybe,” he said as she noted the indifference in his voice.“Are you mad at me?” she asked him.“Yes.”

She immediately racked her brain to see if she could think of the reason why, and the only thing she could come up with is that he was cranky from the constant dieting for his upcoming play.Even what she was cooking tonight was just for her and the kids, as Ross would have his lean protein or a shake for a meal.He had been hitting the gym hot and heavy, and had lost 10 pounds already with probably 20 more to go.He never handled being “hangry,” very well, which was a shame as she really enjoyed his toned and overly muscular body in the bedroom, but yet that Ross was always moody and cross.She had grown to love “dad-bod” Ross because that one, even though he was a little more soft and carried a bit more weight, was always patient and happy.

She looked at him, “Darling, you’re going to have to fill me in on what I’ve done because I…” He impatiently interrupted her, “Oh, you know what you did.In fact, you probably planned it all out.That whole, ‘Ross I’m running late’ spiel you gave when you get home just a few minutes after us?Well played, Demelza.Well played.”“Ross, I don’t understand why picking up the kids is making you so mad.”“Because today was the day they asked parents to dance as extras in the upcoming dance recital.Had you picked Julia up, they would’ve asked you.But you probably didn’t want to, so you sent me, and guess what?I have to be a tree in our daughter’s performance.They’re fitting me with my _leotard_ on Thursday.”Demelza was stifling her giggles, “Ross, you didn’t have to.You could’ve said no.”“No, I couldn’t say no, because Julia looked at me with those baby blue eyes, just as beautiful as yours, and batted them a couple of times.She even said, ‘Daddy, please…’ and you know I’m no match for both of your charms.”Demelza noted how he had reverted back to his thick Irish accent when he said “chaaaaaaaaarms” and knew he was really upset about this.

She put her arms around him and kissed him anyways even though he continued to try to move away, “Well, I’m…” She never got to say she was proud of him as Julia had walked in the kitchen, “Is dinner ready yet?”“Not quite,” Demelza told her.Julia looked at her father and then her mother, “Did Daddy tell you the best news ever?”“That he’s going to be a tree?”“Yes!” and as Julia climbed onto the bar stool next to her father she announced, “He’s the best daddy ever!”She stood on her knees leaning over to him as she said, “Chick Sandwich!” which is what Ross called two women kissing him at once.Demelza obliged as she leaned in too, Ross’s cheeks getting squished from the force of both their smooches.She jumped down and ran back upstairs.

“Ross, she’ll remember this forever.She’ll be telling her grandchildren about how much her daddy loved her.Do you know what I remember about my dad?An empty seat at any performance I ever had.Not Julia.”“Alright,” Ross smiled as he pulled his wife onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her.“I’m sorry I was grumpy,” and because he was still a bit upset, he really gave it a “groompy” pronunciation.He kissed her on the cheek.

 

********************************

 

Tuesday night was not much better for Ross either.He had just gotten home and in the door when he let out a loud sneeze, immediately followed by another.Demelza was walking into the kitchen, “Are you coming down with something?”“I didn’t think so,” he told her.“I felt fine all day.”He sneezed through dinner and by the end of the meal his eyes were red and watering and he felt horrible. “I’m going to go up and lay down,” he told his family.

When Demelza came up to bed later that night, she noticed Ross had changed into his favorite grey t-shirt and his pajama bottoms.He still looked sick.In fact, she thought his eyes looked a bit swollen.She was concerned. “You look like hell, Ross. What’s going on?”“I don’t know, Demelza.I felt _fine_ today.It hit me the moment I walked in the door.”She looked at his arms and saw the red splotches.“Lift up your shirt,” she instructed him and saw the welts on his stomach.“Ross!Look at you!” He looked down, offering, “That’s weird.I only do this when I’m around cats.I’m highly allergic.”Demelza was grimacing, “Well, today we got a cat.It’s in Julia’s room.I was meaning to tell you.”“Demelza!”“I didn’t know you were allergic!” she was trying to soothe him.“And, I think it was laying on this bed earlier.Did you get that t-shirt from the laundry basket?”He nodded.“Well, the cat was sleeping on our folded clothes and your t-shirt was on top.”“Demelza!”She took out her phone and called Lindsay, who she knew was lonely in her new house since her divorce and could use a feline companion.Her friend quickly agreed to take the cat, promising that Julia could come and see it whenever she wanted.Demelza took a deep breath as she walked down to tell her daughter.

Even though Julia’s room was on the other side of the house, Ross didn’t need to strain his ears to hear the awful sounds of her screams and wails.“You mean Tabitha can’t live with us?I love her!She’s my friend!She was going to sleep on my bed like Garrick used to!”Demelza took her daughter by the hand and walked her down the hall, bringing her to Ross’s bedside.“Look at poor daddy, sweetie.Look how sick he is.Look how weird his eyes are and,” she lifted up his t-shirt, “look at these angry, red patches on his skin.Cats make him sick.This is mommy’s fault.I didn’t know he was allergic to cats.If you’re mad at anyone, it should be me and not poor daddy who is very sick right now.Do you want him to be sick?Do you want him to look like this every day?”Julia was nodding her head no but still crying.“Tabitha will stay with Lindsay and you can see her whenever you want, ok?”Julia nodded, but on her way out mumbled, “Worst daddy ever.”

After handing the cat out the door and into Lindsay’s arms along with a bag of cat food, cat nip, toys, dishes, and a scratching post, Demelza got into bed next to Ross who asked, “What a difference a day makes.Wasn’t I just the best dad ever?”Demelza smiled but was still alarmed at her husband’s health.“Is your tongue swelling up?Do you need an EPI pen?Need to go to the ER?”He shook his head, “Nope, just Benadryl and I already found some in the medicine cabinet.I should be good to go.”She nodded as she turned the light off, “Julia will come around.I already promised her a puppy when we get back from New York.”Ross rolled on top of her, “Demelza…”She was laughing as he crushed her into the mattress, “No!Get those welts off of me!”Ross’s tears from his watery eyes were getting on her cheeks as he asked, “You don’t want any of this?”He was laughing too as she pushed him away.“No, I don’t!”“Well, I guess I’ll take my welts elsewhere…” he pretended to pout as he turned over and got comfy.

***********************************

 

 

By morning he was better.The kids had Wednesday off as their teachers were involved in meetings and in-services.Ross and Demelza had decided to take all three kids to the zoo because Jeremy had become completely enamored with learning lately.He’d come home eager to share the fascinating things he’d been introduced to like the sonar of a bat.Just last week, he busted into the kitchen, “Mom, Dad!Did you know there’s a moth that after it comes out of it’s cocoon, only lives two weeks to mate with a female, and then it dies?!?!Isn’t that fascinating?!?!Dad, do you know what it means to mate?”Demelza shot a look at Ross while she watched her husband say, “Uhhhh…maybe you’d better tell me.”“It’s when a male helps a female become a mom, or in this case lay eggs to be more moths.” Jeremy didn’t even give Ross a chance to speak as he turned to Demelza, “Mom, did you know most people think a butterfly is in a cocoon but it’s actually called a chrysalis?”“I did not,” Demelza said as she smiled and smoothed the top of Jeremy’s head, “Tell me more.”

As expected, Jeremy had a great time at the zoo, and walked from exhibit to exhibit with his family as he read them the info on the charts about each animal.Ross and Demelza only had to help him with a few words.It was a beautiful day and Henry cooed and gurgled as he was being wheeled around in his stroller.When asked what her favorite part of the zoo was, Julia responded, “When we saw that gorilla that mommy said looked like daddy!”She was still laughing about that in the car going home.

On the way back, Ross and Demelza turned behind them to see three very exhausted and sleeping kids in the back of the Rover.Ross took her hand and kissed it as he drove, “What a perfect day, Demelza.We haven’t done anything like this as a family in a long time.”She smiled over at him.His face turned serious, “I’ve been hearing something around town, I’m not sure if it’s gossip or not.Maybe you could help me out.”“Oh?” she said inquisitively, “What have you heard.”“Well, that maybe, just maybe, you have a crush on me.”“You heard that?I’m sure that’s gossip.”“I’ve also heard that maybe I’m in love with you.”“I might have heard that too,” she smiled sweetly at him and asked, “What do you think we ought to do about this?”He looked at her quickly, “Maybe we should go out on a date…”“A date?No I don’t think that’s a good idea.”“Why?”“Because, I wouldn’t trust myself around you.I don’t think I could control myself.I might…have my way with you.”“On our first date?” he asked as he pretended to be shocked and offended, “You don’t waste any time!”“I think we should be chaperoned,” she continued with their joke, “But who?”“How about our own children?” Ross laughed, “They seem to hate it when we kiss.”Demelza squeezed his hand as he smiled, showing her his beautiful dimple in his right cheek that she loved.

They pulled in their driveway.Julia woke up and asked, “Are we home?”“We are, sweet girl,” Demelza told her.From the safety of their closed garage, Ross asked his daughter, “Can you wait here in your carseat?Mommy and I will carry the boys in, and then I’ll come back for you myself, OK?”Julia made a face, “Why can’t you carry me first and come back for Jeremy?”“Because he’s asleep, sweetheart.He might wake up and be scared because he doesn’t know where everyone is.You know where we are.”It made sense to her.“Ok.”

Ross took Jeremy as Demelza carried in Henry.When they were in the kitchen holding their sons, she kissed her husband quickly on the lips.She loved seeing him with a child in his arms.They climbed the stairs together and she laid Henry in his crib, staying with him as Ross went back down for Julia.A few seconds later, she heard his footsteps and went out into the hall.Julia had fallen asleep again in his arms.Demelza followed him as he gently put Julia in her bed and took off her shoes, just like he had done for Jeremy.Demelza pulled the covers up over her.Ross took Demelza’s hand and they had almost tip-toed out, when they heard a sleepy voice say, “Mommy?Daddy?”Ross and Demelza turned around to hear her say, “It was a fun day today.”“It was, princess,” Ross said, “Goodnight.”They quietly shut her door.

Out in the hallway now, they both stared at each other for a brief second before they instantly got the same idea.Ross crashed into her lips as she put her arms around his neck.His tongue was tasting her mouth and she was pulling his t-shirt over his head.At one point he crashed into the wall as he walked backwards.“SHHHHHHH!” Demelza warned before saying, “Shower.Kill two birds with one stone.”She could feel Ross smiling as he kissed her, “Should I be offended that you’re penciling me into your busy schedule or glad?”“Overjoyed,” she joked.

They got to their bedroom where they checked on Henry, brushing his black curls with their fingers and then grabbing the baby monitor as they headed into the adjoining bathroom.The rest of their clothes were on the floor as Ross got into the huge, marble shower and adjusted the water.He turned when he heard Demelza stepping in, her auburn hair spilling down on her full breasts.The sight of her still took his breath away.“Darling, you are more beautiful every day.”“Ross…” and they held each other tightly, wet skin to wet skin.They shampooed each other’s hair and then Ross grabbed the soap as he ran his hands across every part of her.She too returned the favor as she soaped all of his glorious muscles on his stomach, chest, shoulders and arms.He heard her saying, “I’ll get your back,” and he practically panted as he saw her lathering her own breasts.She then stood behind him as he felt her pushing her soapy chest into his back, rubbing herself up and down.“Who needs a loofah, Demelza?This is very effective.”He felt her running her breasts down to his buttocks as her hands smoothed down the sides of his very muscular thighs.On her way back up, she reached a soapy hand through his legs to cup his balls as he moaned and said, “Darling, you have The Captain’s full attention.”She reached a hand around as she stroked him there too, noticing he indeed was painfully ready.

He turned around to face her and she lifted a leg that he then put in the crook of his arm.He was kissing her neck, nipping her with his slightly crooked front teeth when he said, “Darling, you’re going to fall with all this soap.I would feel more comfortable with both of your feet on the ground.”She turned around and steadied herself by placing her hands on the glass shower door.He came behind her, moving her wet curls to the side of her neck as he kissed from shoulder to ear, “Better, sweetheart.I don’t want you to ever get hurt.”He entered her, “Like now.Am I hurting you?”She shook her head no.His hands covered hers on the shower doors as he began snapping his hips forward and into her, slowly, as he said into her shoulder, “God, you feel so good.”His hands smoothed down her sides as they came to rest on her hips.He then began quicker movements, his pelvis making a sound each time he came in contact with her full, round buttocks.It was heaven for both of them.“Ross, I love you.” He slowed his movements down to squeeze her breasts as he whispered, “I love you too.”He resumed the quickened pace and felt her legs trembling.“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” as he steadied her against his body, “Come for me.”She did and soon she felt his warm explosion follow as he moaned behind her.A few minutes later, they were cuddled in bed.She heard Ross’s breathing changing and knew he was almost asleep.“Ross?”“Hmmmm?” “Can I ask you a question.”“Mmmmmm.” “Do you think the schools in New York will be as good as Jeremy’s school here in LA.He’s so excited about learning!Did you see him today at they zoo?”He turned on his side to face her, “Darling, we’ve done our research.We have the twins in the best school.And if it’s not a good fit, we’ll find another one for them.Don’t worry,” and he stroked her cheek.“Ross?” “Hmmmmmm?” “If you were a moth, would you still mate with me, even if you knew you would die afterwards?”He laughed.“Well, that’s a no brainer.Of course I would.That time after the Emmy’s where you had had too much champagne and tied me to that chair, I wasn’t sure if I was coming back alive or not!” he joked.She grimaced, “I’m so sorry.What got into me?”“A lot of champagne, Demelza.  That's what got into you. But it was the best night of my life, sweetheart.Best night of my life.”

 

***********************************************

 

Ross woke up Thursday morning, and the first sight he saw was Demelza’s bra, still on the floor from where it was haphazardly thrown the night before.He chuckled to himself as he remembered another time he woke up to a similar sight.“What’s so funny?” she asked him.“You heard that?I didn’t think I made a sound.”“No, I _felt_ you laughing,” she said with her head on his chest.“Oh, your bra just made me remember something.”“Like when we had that fancy dinner party for your cast and crew and Garrick ran into the room with it in his mouth? I was mortified!”Ross let out a guffaw, “I forgot about that!Yeah, that was hysterical.”“Wasn’t that before we had kids?” she asked him.“Oh, yeah.Way before.We were just newly married and Garrick was still a puppy.”

He smoothed his hand up and down her arm that was resting on his chest, “No, darling, I was thinking about another time I woke up and saw your lacy bra on my floor.”“Oh, the first time we slept together?The night you seduced me?”“Demelza!”She noted that he really sounded wounded.“I wasn’t trying to seduce anyone!I just wanted to cook a nice meal for you, and perhaps light a few candles.I wanted to sit under the stars and hold you.I was trying to be a gentleman.”She could see he didn’t find this as funny as she did.“Can I tell you something, Ross?”He nodded as he continued to stroke her arm.“I made a waxing appointment that same day before I came over and I put on my sexiest bra and panties because I hoped to be naked by evening.And you _were_ being the perfect gentleman, that was the problem, so I turned around and kissed you to speed things up.”“So you seduced me…” “Why does someone have to be seduced in this story?” she giggled.“I think it was two people that had been fighting the urge and the sexual tension for long enough that they caved.I think we realized we loved each other and this was the logical next step.”He kissed her on the top of the head and was about to say something when their daughter busted into the room.

“It’s Job Shadowing Day!I’ve been up all night I’m so nervous!”Ross leaned down and playfully picked Julia up, throwing her on the bed like a sack of potatoes.She laughed and took her spot between her parents.“What do I wear?I think I want to wear a dress.”“Good idea,” Demelza told her.“Yes,”Ross seconded, you will look very professional.Like Veronica Corningstone.”“Who?”Julia asked as Demelza rolled her eyes, “Thank goodness she hasn’t watched Anchorman,” which was one of Ross’s favorite movies.She turned to her daughter, “Want me to help you get dressed?”Julia nodded and mother and daughter left the room as Ross got up to lift Henry out of his crib.“Good morning, little man!” he said as he lifted him above his head and then brought him down to kiss his cheek.

That evening, over dinner, Julia went on and on about how much fun she had.They even let her give the “news” on camera and emailed a video clip to Ross and Demelza to watch.They all watched it together at the table and everyone was so proud of her.Even Jeremy told her she did a good job.Then, Ross and Julia headed out to dance rehearsal, where Ross was fitted for his outfit for the recital.

Demelza was in bed with her laptop, finishing up an email to her brother, Sam, when Ross came home and climbed the stairs.She noticed the look on his face, “What’s wrong?”“It’s my leotard,” he quickly told her.“Oh no!” she said trying not to giggle.“Can I put it on for you and you tell me what you think?” he asked her.“Of course.”

He didn’t change in front of her but instead went into the bathroom where he shut the door and put the costume on.He was in there for a long time. She finally heard him saying from the bathroom, “It’s indecent.” He came out and she eyed him up and down.“Ross, it’s fine!What’s wrong with it?You’re actually super covered up.It has long sleeves and it comes all the way up to your neck.Your chest hair doesn’t even show.It’s very modest.I thought you were going to show me a speedo or something.”He didn’t smile or look convinced, “I’m a tree, Demelza, and I have to constantly lift my arms.Look what happens when I do.”He lifted them and her eyes were immediately drawn down.“Holy crap, Ross.You can see everything!”“That’s what I thought!”“Do it again,” she instructed him.He did.“Wow.You’re going to make the other dance mom’s break out in a sweat.I’m feeling a little warm myself.Just keep your arms down.”“I’m a _tree,_ Demelza.” 

“Are there other dad’s in this?”“A couple.”“Are they having the same trouble?”“I’m sad to say I have checked out their junk, and it doesn’t seem like it’s as noticeable.”“Do it again,” she commanded and then said, “Everything is completely outlined.You can see every crooked curve of The Captain and your sac underneath.” He was shaking his head in mortification.She wasn’t sure why he was upset, “I think you would be proud, Ross.It shows everyone just how large you are.”“Demelza!There’s a time and a place, and our 7 year old daughter’s recital is not one of them!”“Well, wear underwear.Maybe it’s like that movie you did where you fell in love with that old lady and were building a fire in her back yard.You were walking in those shorts and showing her more than just your muscles…”“I _am_ wearing underwear!”“Well…” She was running out of solutions for him,“I could call my gay friend in Ohio that I used to work with at Starbucks.He had a drag show where he dressed up as Cher and sang on stage.I know he used to tuck it in somehow when he was wearing dresses.”“I’m not tucking anything in,” he said sounding a bit frustrated.“Has Julia noticed?”“Thankfully no.”“Well, just dance your little heart out, Ross, and stand behind people when you can.”“I do dance behind Julia a lot and at one point I have to kneel and she sits on my knee.”“There you go.Perhaps they should pass out hand-held fans with the programs…”“You’re a riot, Demelza.”He was taking his leotard off and climbing into bed next to Demelza.“It will be fine, sweetie,” she said as she stroked his bare chest.She kissed him, “Now everyone will know just how lucky and satisfied I am…”“Oh, are you _satisfied_?Is that so?”He was rolling on top of her as she giggled, “I’m not sure.Perhaps you should refresh my memory…”

 

*************************************

Friday was the end to a very eventful week and also Jeremy’s turn to job shadow.After falling from the tree and breaking his arm, he had decided that he wanted to be a surgeon when he grew up, and who better to follow around than Uncle Dwight, who was also coming to pick him up for the day.Jeremy was already dressed, had his breakfast, backpack slung over his shoulders, and was just sitting at the island waiting.“Are you nervous?”Demelza asked as she moved a curl out of his eyes.He wrinkled his nose at her, “A little.Uncle Dwight is going to let me watch a robotic surgery.”“That will be fun, right?”“Yes,” and as he smiled, they both heard the familiar car horn of Dr. Enys.“Break a leg,” Demelza told him as he walked out the door.

Ross was already home later that afternoon when they got the call from Dwight.“Hey, Ross,” his friend started out, “Jeremy has had some events happen at the hospital and he’s pretty upset.I’m going to let him tell you about it, but I just wanted to give you a head’s up before we got home.”Ross hung up the phone to look at his wife, “Something’s wrong with Jare.”Their son busted into the kitchen just a few minutes later, with Dwight on his heels.Jeremy was shouting, “We have to help her!She needs our help!She’s sick and I said we could take her!Can we?She needs us!”Both Ross and Demelza looked at Dwight and then Jeremy for more info.Demelza was saying, “Sweetheart, slow down. What happened?”Jeremy was still shouting, “They found her and she’s sick and needs to be held all day!There’s four of us.We could all do it!”“Who?”Ross was asking his son.“There’s no time for questions,” Jeremy said nervously.“We have to go to the hospital NOW!” 

Ross finally looked to Dwight for clarification.Their friend explained, “There was a biracial baby girl found in a dumpster today that was brought to the hospital.She appears to be just a few days old and is a heroin baby.The hospital has contacted social services to try to find her birth parents and in the meantime is putting together a list of volunteers for her care.She has to be held around the clock as she comes down from the addiction.”Jeremy interrupted him, “All she does is cry and cry.It’s heartbreaking. They let me hold her and she stopped for a few minutes.I can help her.We have to bring her here.”

Demelza was looking at Ross with wounded eyes who took the hint and began the tough job of explaining to Jeremy, “Son, it doesn’t work like that.It’s not our baby.We can’t just take her in.It’s sad that these things have happened to her, but the hospital knows what to do and there are agencies that will make sure she gets a good home.”Dwight chimed in by saying, “I’ll keep you updated, Jare.I’ll keep an eye on her and make sure she’s ok.I’ll let you know when they find her a home, OK?”Jeremy was shaking his head violently as he looked from one parent to another, “Daddy, you always said you wanted two daughters.You have _one._ And mommy, you always say that you’re sorry Henry wasn’t twins like Julia and I were.I heard you!And there’s a whole basement full of Julia’s baby furniture that nobody’s using.It’s just sitting down there!”He was walking to the basement door to point.He started to cry.Ross came and squatted down to be on his level and took him by the shoulders, “Son, it’s so nice you want to help her, but she’s not our baby.She doesn’t have mommy’s and my ingredients and…”“Who cares!”Jeremy interrupted.“Jeremy, we just can’t.I’m proud of you for wanting to but we can’t.”Dwight was asking, “How about I take you back to the hospital tomorrow to see her?Would that make you feel better?”Jeremy bolted from the room and ran up the stairs.

He agreed to come down for dinner later, but just pushed his food around on the plate.Ross and Demelza didn’t really overtly practice religion around the children other than teaching them to be the very best person they could be; but while visiting Sam in Cleveland, Jeremy had seen his uncle praying with his family and was very moved by it.Demelza didn’t pray with the twins but as she was tucking Jeremy in that night, he asked her, “Mommy?Can I say a prayer for the baby?”“Of course you can, darling.”She sat down on the bed as he closed his eyes, “Dear Lord, please help Baby Girl Doe,” he stopped to explain to Demelza, “that’s what they call her because they don’t know her name.”She nodded as he continued, “Please help Baby Girl Doe to not be scared tonight at the hospital.Please help her to feel better and to find a safe home.Amen.”He opened his eyes and looked at his mother, “Do you think I said everything alright?”“You did a good job, Jare.I’m proud of you.Goodnight.”

She was fighting back tears as she went down the hall to Ross who was already in bed.She sat on the edge for several seconds before she asked her husband, “Are you thinking about that baby?”He was still laying on his pillow with his eyes closed, “Demelza, I know how you feel about adoption.I haven’t even entertained the thought.The hospital will know what to do.”She nodded and got in bed beside him.“Goodnight, Ross.”

He woke around 3 am to a sound in the bedroom.He opened his eyes to see Demelza sitting on the edge of the bed again.She was crying.He sat up to put his arm around her, “What’s going on?”She just looked at him with her tear stained face.Her chin was trembling.“Darling, what is it?” he asked as his arm drew her closer to his chest.“I can’t stop thinking about her, Ross.”“The baby?”“Yes.”“You don’t like adoption.”“The reason why is because I don’t want to have to worry about if or when I tell the child it’s adopted and that I’m not it’s birth-mom.If the baby is biracial, she’s going to know I’m not her mom.Everyone will, and that seems better to me. I’m not trying to fool anyone.”“I don’t know, darling…”She continued, “Our seven year old son made some excellent points today.We do have a basement full of furniture, and there are four of us to hold her.”She reminded him,“I lost my eggs in that horrible clinic accident!We’re not having any more children, Ross!”“But we’re going to New York.”“I’m sure we could take her, Ross.If I can hold her in California, I can hold her just as easily in New York.”“But Henry…”“We’re used to two babies, we did it before with the twins.”She studied his face, “You’re coming up with a lot of reasons not to do this.Are you against the idea?”“No, I wanted to take her the moment Jeremy told us about her, but I knew where you stood on the issue.And I want you to be sure.”Her eyes were welling up with tears again, “I’m sure.I want her.Call Dwight _right now.”_ It was 3:14 when Ross reached for his cellphone.He dialed the number and then kissed his wife on the forehead as he waited for his friend to answer.He was saying to Demelza, “I’m proud or you, darling.  I know what a big step this is for you” when a sleepy voice picked up. “What’s wrong, Ross?”“We want her, Dwight.We want Baby Girl Doe.”

 

THE END

 

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Besides just being busy with my new house, I was suffering a bit from writer's block. So I took a little hiatus to recharge. Thanks for being patient with me.
> 
> Don't worry, just this edition of the fic is ending. I will start up a whole new title where I will continue the adventures of this same family in New York. Will they keep the baby? What will they name her? It's all in the next title.
> 
> I like to keep each fic around 25 chapters and that was the plan for this one until my unexpected divorce that I chose to write about. Thanks for indulging me as it was really cathartic to write it down and read it off the page. The chapters got a little more numerous than I would have liked.


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